the earth is not a cold dead place
by Sunny Daisy
Summary: S4-ensemble. Elena/Damon, Elena/Stefan, Elena/Elijah, Caroline/Klaus, Caroline/Tyler, Bonnie/Jeremy, Matt/Elena, Rebekah, Kol, Katherine. -everyone with everyone, basically. Something wicked this way comes...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not mine, etc. Title is from the band Explosions in the Sky. Also not mine.

A/N: First TVD fanfic (but not my first fanfic). Part 1 of several (yet to be determined). The finale just killed me, guys. We're talking ugly-sobbing.

**Edit:** 7/18_—_fixed a few structural mistakes.

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

"I'm done," Bonnie says to her mirror, half-expecting her own reflection to start arguing with her. _You can't—your sisters—Emily—_

But Bonnie shakes her head, forcing the doubts down; burying them deep inside herself. She can't tell if the thoughts are even her own anymore; or if they belong to her _sisters_, twisting her puppet strings and moving her like a chess piece. Her eyes narrow.

"I'm _done_," she repeats, straightening her spine and squaring her shoulders, glaring at herself. Her reflection remains silent. She stares hard into her own eyes until they blur together and all she hears is the sound of blood roaring in her ears.

She thinks of all that she has lost (missing Grams is an ache that never fully disappears), of all that the people she loves have lost—Elena, Caroline, Jeremy, Alaric and she is _too young_ _for this._ There is no one old enough for this, she thinks, hands fisting at her sides.

The losses stack up in her mind and something is burning in her temples, but all Bonnie can think is _I'm done, I can't anymore, it hurts too much and you can't make me, I won't, I am not your pawn—_

Her hands unclench and she exhales a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"You were supposed to be the good guys," Bonnie says to the air—to the witches that are always listening—"but you're no better than _them_." She barely recognizes her own voice as it scratches at her throat, but then again, she barely recognizes a lot of things these days. _Elena—Alaric—Caroline—_

"You're no better than them, using people to get what you want," she says, and she picks up Emily's grimoire from its place on top of her dresser. Her fingers trace lightly over the cover and with a final glance at her face in the mirror, she whispers scratchily, "This ends now."

She thinks about the scene she just left—Tyler, but not Tyler. She had done it to save Caroline, to save Abby, but a deeper and more honest part of her relished acting on her own agency. No more tugging or whispering from the witches, from her _sisters_.

Bonnie closes her eyes and inhales a long, deep breath. She buries the witches' betrayal next to Abby's abandonment, Jeremy kissing ghosts, Elena's secret looks with Damon.

The candle on her bedside table burns.

… … … …

When she was nine years old, Elena Gilbert caught a particularly nasty strain of the flu. Her body had ached down to her bones, her head had felt weighted and stuffed with cotton, and her skin had burned with fever. The feeling of her own clothes brushing against her had nearly reduced her tears.

Her skin prickles and she gasps in pain, eyes flying open. For a few brief, glorious seconds, she grasps wildly onto the idea that she is still nine and riddled with fever because _everything_ is so heightened on her skin that she can barely stand it—but the moments tick by and she has no heartbeat.

"Elena," Stefan says, taking both of her hands. "It's okay, Elena, it's okay."

She doesn't look at him; instead she takes big, desperate breaths, _willing_ her lungs to need air.

But there's nothing.

Elena finally turns to Stefan and _oh God his face_. His tormented expression slams the door on her fleeing hope that maybe she missed something, that maybe there's another explanation—

"How did this _happen_?" she moans, and her voice is as broken as her heart. "I didn't—there's no way—"

Stefan's hands come up to cup her face and he looks right into her eyes. "Meredith Fell lied to us, Elena. You didn't have a concussion. You had a cerebral hemorrhage—your brain was bleeding." He hesitates, and she knows where this is going, but she starts shaking her head anyway. As if that will stave off what cannot possibly be the truth.

"No," she says, half-hysterical and gripping his wrists. "No, no, no, _no_—"

"She gave you vampire blood to heal you," someone interrupts. Elena turns but Stefan does not; Damon's eyes are closed and he's leaning against the wall of the—_oh my God this is a morgue._ "She gave you vamp blood and then you drowned."

Drowned. She had drowned.

She's turned back to Stefan, and even though she's looking straight at him, she doesn't see him. All she can see is her imagined future as it vanishes. Gray haired and eighty years down the road, with grandchildren playing at her feet—the images crinkle at the edges and then are gone.

"Drowned," she echoes quietly, and Stefan's hands drop away from her as he slowly nods. The lake. Wickery Bridge and _here lies Elena Gilbert_, yellow flowers dotting the water's smooth surface.

"M—Matt?" she asks, but before the dread can even take full form in her stomach, Stefan is nodding.

"He's okay. He's fine."

"Yes," Damon drawls from his spot on the wall. "_Matt Donovan's_ fine, and we're here. In a damn _morgue_." Elena can almost taste the acidity in his tone.

"Not now," Stefan snaps, and the air shifts.

Before Damon can snap back, Elena pushes herself off the metal table and starts heading for the door. Before she can even take three steps, both Salvatores are in front of her, blocking her exit.

"Don't even think about it," Damon warns. She looks at Stefan for help and he folds his arms over his chest and shakes his head at her.

"You need to decide what you're going to do," he tells her gently. "If you're going to transition." Damon snorts but doesn't say anything.

She blinks at them. "I need to see Jeremy. I need to talk to him about this, about everything." Surely they would understand that of all things.

"We know," Stefan says. "The thing is…we're in a hospital, Elena."

She stares at him, uncomprehending, and Damon cuts in impatiently.

"People tend to _bleed_ in hospitals. So if you decide to transition, first we get you fed. _Then_ we get you out. Clear?"

Elena scowls at both of them. "I'm not making this decision without Jeremy, Damon. So either take me to him or bring him here, I don't care which."

... ... ... ...

Caroline runs.

She doesn't look around, doesn't stop to consider the consequences if someone sees; after all, the Council already knows who she is—_what_ she is. She just watched Tyler _die_ so she's more concerned about getting home to sob into Liz Forbes' arms than she is about almost anything else.

She can't worry about Elena, about Bonnie, about Matt, about Stefan. There's no room in her heart for it because Tyler is dead and she just wants her mother.

The few minutes it takes her to reach her neighborhood from the old Lockwood cellar crawl by like hours; and as soon as she reaches her front yard, she knows something is not right. There are too many lights on in her house (because two years ago Caroline had freaked out about global warming and the end of the world and had made Liz promise to never leave the light on in an unoccupied room).

But the entire house is lit up, even the bathrooms.

Caroline backs away into the shadows of the trees across the street, eyes and ears focused on her house.

"…_wait_…_come back soon_…" That was not her mother's voice. She needs no further prompting to flee, but she has no destination in mind as she takes off.

If evil Alaric told the Council about her and Tyler (her heart cracks) then how does she know the Salvatore boarding house is safe? Or Elena's, or Bonnie's, or even Matt's house?

_Don't panic_, she tells herself sternly. _Think clearly, Caroline. What are your options?_

It dawns on her as she slips into the forest. _The witches' house_.

She turns to head that way when she hears them.

"_What did you do, Rebekah?"_

Elijah.

… … … …

_It's all my fault_, Matt thinks miserably, one arm slung over his forehead as he lies in his bed. _Elena's dead and it's my fault._

There are tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes, sliding down his temples and onto his pillowcase. He can't bring himself to wipe them away.

Elena. Tyler. Alaric. Gone.

And before that—Vicki. Even his parents, because there's little to no chance either of them will ever come back.

And those are just the people he loves. Matt can't even wrap his brain around the collateral damage that's piled up over the past few months.

He's drowned twice, but he's never felt this close to dead.

… … … …

Ric has long disappeared and Jeremy is sitting on the stairs, staring at the door, willing Elena to walk in. Bonnie found a way, a loophole, he tells himself. His sister isn't dead.

No one can be that unlucky.

But minutes are stretching into hours and Jeremy's still staring at the door.

_I'll do anything_, he finds himself thinking. _Just don't—just give me my sister. Please…God…_ He's not sure if he believes in God anymore, but if things as dark as Klaus can exist, then maybe so can something as light as God.

So he bargains. _I'll hunt them all down, I don't care, just give me Elena_—

His phone buzzes and adrenaline pulses through his nervous system.

It's Stefan.

Jeremy doesn't bother with a hello. "Where's Elena, Stefan?"

There's hesitation on the other end and, desperation seeping in, Jeremy repeats, "_Where's Elena, Stefan?_"

Stefan exhales and says, "You need to come to the hospital. Now."

His vision goes blurry and he stands up. "Not until you answer me, Stefan! Where is my sister?"

There's commotion on Stefan's end, and then—

"Jer?"

_Elena_. Relief sweeps through him and he sags, gripping the handle of the staircase so that he doesn't collapse.

"Thank God," he sighs, his forehead dropping to the railing. _Thank you, thank you, thank you._

"Jer, you need to come to the hospital, okay? It's important," Elena says, a note of urgency in her voice. "Something's happened. Get here fast."

"Okay," he agrees, too busy thanking God and loopholes to wonder how, if Alaric is gone, his sister remains.

… … … …

The Lockwood cellar is hardly an ideal location, but it's isolated and Klaus needs to weigh his options.

He paces, Tyler's footsteps heavier than his own, and scowls. He shouldn't have let the witch leave, should have made her take him to his body and finish this ridiculous—albeit well-timed—spell.

After "Tyler" had "died" (and Caroline had fled), Klaus began to concoct a plan. Finding Rebekah is paramount, he decides, possibly more important than shrugging Tyler off. Find Rebekah, Elijah, and Kol; then kill his mother's latest minion hell-bent on killing him—but what of after?

Leave.

It doesn't matter if the doppelganger is dead or alive, not after the Salvatores—_Stefan's_—betrayal. After the events of the last few days, Klaus finds that he cares very little about Elena Gilbert, Mystic Falls, and hybrids.

He'll leave, but not before returning to himself and letting Caroline's bratty boyfriend go

A parting gift, he thinks. Maybe one day she'll thank him.

… … … …

**tbc.**

**A/N: **Thoughts, comments, questions, criticisms-holla.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Standard procedure. Not mine, no money being made, etc. Title courtesy of Explosions in the Sky.

**A/N: **Marching right along!

**Edit: **7/18. Fixed structural mistakes.

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

**2.**

"What did you do, Rebekah?" Elijah's gripping her arm tightly, his face drawn and his eyes shadowed.

"I _told_ you!" Rebekah screams at him. "He killed our brother, Elijah! He was coming for us, and he had to die!" Her voice is too high, cracking over every other word and there is a long beat where they are both silent and staring at each other.

In that stretch of quiet, Rebekah hates him. It flames white hot, igniting her nerves and she wishes _he_ had died instead of Klaus, that it had been _his_ body she had watched burn. Because she knows no matter how fiercely she (or Klaus or Kol) loves Elijah, they are all second place to his _stupid honor_. Maybe even third place, she thinks bitterly, after Tatia and the doppelgangers who wear her face.

She meets his eyes and says lowly, viciously, desperate to hurt as she hurts, "I did what you couldn't. I _finished_ it. It's over, Elijah. No more running. Mother can't hurt us anymore." She stumbles over the word 'mother,' which is ridiculous really, because she hasn't had a mother in over a thousand years. Rebekah blinks and feels tears slip down her face, sliding over the tracks that she had never wiped away.

Elijah lets go of her arm and turns slightly, putting his hands in his pockets. "The Salvatores will want vengeance," he says quietly, his eyes trained on the forest.

Rebekah's hands ball into fists and she fairly snarls, "Let them come." And she means it. She ran from her own father for a thousand years, yet she has lost two brothers because of the Salvatores and _Elena Gilbert_. They are not the only ones who want vengeance—Rebekah wants to paint the entire eastern seaboard red with their blood.

Still focused on the forest, Elijah tilts his head and Rebekah has to fight the urge to choke him because _how dare he be so calm_ while their family lies in shattered pieces? She's gnawing on the inside of her cheek when—

"Come here, Miss Forbes," Elijah says, holding out a hand to the trees.

… … … …

_You've got a nasty sense of humor, _Jeremy snaps bitterly at God.

His sister's dead, but not _dead_, and he's sitting with her in a freaking morgue. _A morgue_. Jeremy hates that this is their life, that they've lost six—count 'em, _six_—parents between them; that when added together their ages don't even make up a mid-life crisis and yet he still thinks death will be a sweet relief.

"I couldn't _not_ ask you," Elena tells him softly, touching his hand. He's a little surprised it isn't cold. "We've—you've had so much taken from you, Jer, and this—" she gestures to herself, "This affects you. What happens now will change your life."

Right. It'll change _his_ life. Shaking his head, Jeremy twists his ring—_you wear a ring that lets you cheat death_—around his finger and thinks about Anna.

Being a vampire doesn't make you evil, he thinks. According to everyone, it only heightens what's already there; and he's not blind because he knows Elena is far from perfect, but she's not _bad_.

Jeremy may not see his sister in the same rosy haze that the Salvatore brothers do (because, _gross_), but he knows she isn't Katherine.

"What do _you_ want?" he asks, turning towards her. Her hair and clothes are still damp and she smells like river water. It makes his stomach turn.

Elena's face crumbles a little. "I thought I knew," she says, voice hushed. "But now…I just know I don't want you to be alone."

He doesn't want him to be alone either.

"And this is probably pretty self-centered," Elena continues with a small, humorless laugh, "but there's just been so much pain and so much suffering. I don't want to add to it." She looks down at her lap.

"So…" he says carefully. "You're doing it, then. Transitioning."

Her mouth pulls upward a bit and Jeremy's heart lifts with it. "I guess you're stuck with me," she says, slipping an arm around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

They sit together like that for a moment before she sighs and mumbles, more to herself than to him, "I should go get Stefan and Damon. Let them know."

Jeremy watches her go to the door and peer outside. _It just so happens your friend here is only _mostly _dead_, he remembers Miracle Max telling Inigo Montoya.

_Mostly dead is slightly alive._

… … … …

"Look," Bonnie snaps into her phone. "I don't want you in Tyler's body any more than you want to be there. But now isn't a good time."

"Perhaps you should _make_ now a good time," Klaus suggests smoothly, and Bonnie fumes.

"Last time I checked, _Klaus_," she seethes, and the tiny flames on every candle in her living room roar to new heights, "I don't work for you." _I don't work for anyone._ "And you're running out of threats."

"I'm sure I could dream up some new ones," he says pleasantly. "Your town is still standing, and it would appear I have some free time."

Bonnie reaches for her car keys on the table by her front door. "You don't want to start a war with me, Klaus," she warns. "I'm done playing fair." The candles blow out. Her motions hurried, she steps outside and locks up her house, heading to her car.

He laughs lowly into the phone. "No, sweetheart. _You_ don't want to start a war with _me_." There's a pause and her skin crawls over the endearment. "If this unfortunate situation is not resolved quickly, I'll be forced to take matters into my own hands."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Bonnie demands, freezing mid-opening her car door. "What, are you gonna kill everyone I love? That's your go-to answer, right? But don't forget, Klaus—everyone I love, _Caroline_ loves too." She lets the static linger for a minute before continuing triumphantly, "No, I think you're going to wait. I think you're going to do nothing until _I'm_ ready."

When he hangs up on her, she knows she's got him. She tosses her bag into the passenger seat and grips the wheel tightly, allowing herself a second to calm down.

She taps her phone screen and re-reads Jeremy's text message, even though the words are already branded on her brain.

_Something's happened. Salvatore house. Urgent. _

… … … …

"Miss Forbes."

Busted.

_Idiot_, Caroline chides herself as she walks gingerly towards the small clearing where Elijah and Rebekah are standing. _You shouldn't have stopped to listen. You should've run until you reached Canada._

She stops when she's standing directly in front of Elijah and crosses her arms over her chest, saying nothing.

Elijah looks at her like she's a code he's determined to crack. She has to force herself not to shiver. "How is it that you're still alive?" he murmurs, and she knows he doesn't expect her to answer. So Klaus really was her Original sire.

_I should be dead_, Caroline thinks miserably. _I should be dead with Tyler, with Daddy—and with Elena_. _Oh God, Elena_. She has to grind her back molars together and lock her knees to keep herself from breaking into pieces.

"The witch must have found a way around the bloodline," Rebekah says resentfully and this might be the first time Caroline doesn't see her as _that bitch who wants my life_. (Well, technically, it's the second time, but Caroline had rendered the actual first time null and void after Rebekah had left her with Alaric to rot.)

Rebekah has lost her family and Caroline has lost too much. She understands being jealous because your life is crashing down around you, but everyone else is getting what they want. So maybe they're not the same, but they're not different and Caroline is just _so freaking tired_. God, how does eighteen feel this ancient?

"I have no idea how I'm still here," she says truthfully. "T-Tyler—he," and she inhales sharply to steady herself before forcing herself on, "Tyler died."

The world doesn't collapse as she says it out loud, but she sort of wishes it would. _Tyler—Daddy—Elena _

Elijah is staring at her thoughtfully, his face unreadable. When he starts to speak again, she thinks she halfway gets Elena's strange loyalty to the guy because honestly, there's not much she wouldn't do if that voice told her to do it. She winces inwardly: _Elena_. No more giggling together under Bonnie's covers, no more spontaneous road trips to the coast; and even though she can barely remember the last time they did those things, now they never will again. Her eyes are stinging.

"Caroline," Elijah says, "If Tyler is truly dead, then you should be dead as well."

"Don't you think I know that?" she cries, voice quavering. _God_ the last thing she needs is freaking _Klaus's brother_ reminding her that she's not loyal enough, too shallow—but he's shaking his head and his hands come up to grasp her upper arms.

"Caroline," Elijah repeats. "If Klaus is dead, and if Tyler is dead, then it is _not physically possible_ for you to be standing here. Klaus sired your line." He keeps his eyes on her as his words sink in.

_Two and two is four, Caroline_. She had been so lost in her grief, so desperate to get to Liz, and then to run.

"But—" she whispers. "But Iit took Sage like an hour. Has it been an hour?" She hears Rebekah scoff from somewhere over Elijah's shoulder.

Elijah shrugs slightly and lets go of her. "I'm not exactly well-versed on the destruction of bloodlines, but I daresay you would feel the effects by now. How did Sage die?"

Caroline bites her lip and frowns. "She…she started coughing up blood, then she collapsed and then…it was over."

"And Tyler?"

She flinches a little but answers him. "He started turning into a wolf. He- he made me leave before anything else happened."

"But you didn't see anything similar to what happened with Sage?" Elijah presses.

Caroline blinks and very cautiously, warmth starts to unfurl in her chest. "No. No, I didn't." Her eyebrows knit together and she rubs her forehead. "He said he had just been with Bonnie."

Elijah straightens. "Where did you leave Tyler?"

"The Lockwood cellar." Caroline hesitates then goes on, "So…so what does this mean?" She's looking up at him with wide eyes and Rebekah is suddenly standing next to him, the look on her face a cross between hopeful and confused.

"Elijah?" Rebekah whispers, and he looks down at his sister.

"Don't get too hopeful, Bekah," he warns. "It could be nothing." From Rebekah's expression, Caroline thinks the advice is a hair too late.

Her phone buzzes in her back pocket, breaking the stillness, and both Originals turn. She winces and pulls it out.

It's from Stefan, and something's happened. She looks up at Elijah and Rebekah, face carefully blank. "It's my mom," she lies. "I gotta go."

Elijah's eyebrows go up slightly. She's pretty sure he sees right through her, but he doesn't call her out on it and Rebekah's turned away, already dismissing her.

Caroline swallows painfully as she takes off in the direction of the Salvatore boarding house, mentally compiling a list of all the people they could have lost now and steeling herself for the worst.

… … … …

"If she never tastes human blood, she won't want it as much!" Stefan snaps at Damon irritably. Damon rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, that theory makes a lot of sense," he drawls. "Except that one part where _it doesn't_. Denial's a lost cause, brother—just look at you." He smirks at the murderous expression on Stefan's face. "It doesn't matter if she never tastes it, she'll _always_ want it. Moderation's the key."

Elena's watching them go back and forth, an angry tennis match and she's the ball. She wonders idly if they even remember she's in the room.

After her heart-to-heart with Jeremy, she had found Stefan and Damon glaring and snipping at each other from opposite ends of the hallway. Apparently, Stefan had left briefly to kill a squirrel for her—_just in case_ he had said with a shrug, offering her a plastic baggie filled with animal blood.

And she had taken it.

_How are you two still alive, _she had demanded after draining the Ziploc bag, and _God_ that was…not enough. _Klaus—_

They had exchanged looks, which only served to infuriate her. _How are you still alive?_ she had repeated forcefully.

Stefan had sighed. _We're not entirely sure. _

_It's past the time it took for Sage to drop dead_, Damon had added sardonically. _So just maybe Klaus actually was a lying bastard. _He had held up one hand and ticked off on his fingers, _That leaves Rebekah, Elijah and Kol as options and since Ric the Vampire Slayer has shed his immortal coil, I don't really care to find out._

_There's still the stake_, Stefan had reminded him and Damon had just shaken his head. _Worry about that tomorrow, brother_.

The clinking of ice in Damon's glass snaps her back to the present. Transitioning _sucks_—and her own unintentional pun makes Elena snicker a little, causing Jeremy to glance over at her with a half-grin on his face.

She can smell _everything_—the liquor in Damon's glass, the wood in the fireplace, and worst of all, the blood in Jeremy's neck. She forces herself to look away from him, away from his pulse point.

"—if you hadn't saved _Matt_," she hears Damon growl at Stefan and she's had enough.

"Stop it!" she shouts, hands going to her hips and fixing the two of them with a glare. "I can _hear_ you, you know. And for the record—" she sends Damon a look. "I _made_ Stefan save Matt. My choice."

"Believe me, I know all about your _choices_," Damon says acidly, but before Elena can respond, she hears footsteps at the front door.

"What's going on?" Caroline demands, foregoing a greeting entirely, a whirlwind of terrified energy. Elena can hear the panic vibrating in her voice. "What's—_Elena_?" Before Elena can blink, Caroline is in front of her, hands roaming Elena's face like she can't believe her friend is really there.

"But you…" Caroline trails off and then her eyes are filling with tears and Elena feels her own start to well up. "Oh _Elena_." Caroline's arms go around her and then they are both crying messily into each other's shoulders.

When they've both calmed down to only small sniffling, Caroline moves to stand next to her and Elena lets her head drop onto her friend's shoulder. Stefan is looking at them with an expression that is equal parts concern and affection, Damon's jaw is set and Jeremy is blinking a little too quickly.

"So what happened?" Caroline asks gently, her cheek resting on the top of Elena's head. Elena wipes the tear tracks off her face and says,

"We should wait for Bonnie."

Right on cue, Bonnie opens the door; and if Caroline is a whirlwind, Bonnie's a lightning storm. Elena isn't sure if it's because of her weird new senses or if Bonnie is just _that_ angry, but something is crackling in the air around her.

She stops at the entrance and stares at them, eyebrows raised. "Jeremy said it was an emergency," she says, almost defensively.

Stefan sighs and says, "Everyone might want to sit down."

"So you're a vampire now," Bonnie says in slight disbelief and Elena winces a little before nodding. The three girls are sitting alone in the Salvatore living room.

"It was an accident, Bon," she says quietly. "I didn't—no one wanted this. It just…kind of happened."

"What made you decide to transition?" Caroline asks, her voice soothing. "Not that I'm not glad you did," she adds quickly, giving her a small smile.

Elena shrugs and doesn't answer for several seconds. "I couldn't leave Jeremy alone, after everything," she says finally. Neither of her friends presses her for more.

"So…" Caroline says haltingly. "What will you do about…you know. Eating."

Elena sighs. "Stefan thinks I should stay away from everything not a forest creature, Damon thinks the opposite…" She trails off.

"And around and around we go," Bonnie finishes for her. Caroline gives Elena a sympathetic look. "Always in the middle of them," she says sadly.

Elena shakes her head and changes the subject. "Klaus wasn't the one who made your bloodline," she says to Caroline, who frowns a little at her. Bonnie is looking at her oddly too. "He's dead, so he can't be."

Caroline bites her lip and opens her mouth to say something when Bonnie interrupts.

"I have to tell you guys something."

… … … …

Klaus hits redial on Tyler's phone again, impatience starting to mix with real anger as he hears, _again_, "This is Bonnie, I'm not here so leave a message!" _Beep_.

Snarling, he hangs up and goes back to pacing, until he hears—

"_Nik_!"

Rebekah.

"_Nik! Nik, where are you?_"

"Bekah!" he bellows, running towards the cellar's opening.

Klaus sees a flash of long blonde hair and then Rebekah slams into him, arms so tight around him that he's grateful—for once—that Tyler isn't human.

Rebekah is crying and he realizes that he is too—_a little_—and when he looks up, Elijah is there as well.

His brother smiles warmly at him and says without a trace of malice, "So Niklaus. You've cheated death. Again." And then Elijah has his arms around both him and Rebekah and he thinks he underestimated just how much he owes Bonnie Bennett.

Elijah lets go, but Rebekah does not, only loosening her grip to look up at him and say questioningly, "Tyler Lockwood, Nik?"

He shrugs. "It was the witch's idea and he was willing. I'm _very_ ready to move on. Or back, as it were."

Rebekah lets go of him and starts nodding. "We'll go get your body from the storage facility—you were burned, Nik, but maybe it isn't bad, and when it's done, we'll leave this _nightmare_ of a place."

"There is something you should know," Elijah says, and Rebekah's eyes drop to the floor. Klaus's stomach starts to knot and he says violently, "_What_?" In his mind's eye, he sees Kol burning and Caroline dying in a thousand different ways.

Grief flickers across Elijah's face so fast that if Klaus did not know his brother, he would have thought it imagined. "Elena is dead, Niklaus," he says. "The doppelganger is dead."

… … … …

**tbc.**

* * *

A/N: Questions, comments, thoughts, wishes, hopes, dreams-drop me a line.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, etc. Title is from the incomparable Explosions in the Sky.

**A/N:** Everyone who put this on Story Alert and/or reviewed—thank you! Please continue to do so (and I'd love it if those of you who Story Alerted but didn't review would take some time to tell me what you think). And if you're new, welcome! Enjoy and please review.

**A/N 2:** I've been stuck on this chapter for a few days because I didn't feel like I was getting every character's voice right. This fic has been bit more difficult to write than my other TVD related story (which is called _the birth and death of the day_ and you should go read it when you're done here. /shameless self-promotion). I think it's because this is truly an ensemble, and everyone's headspace is _so_ different. All this to say- I'd really appreciate any feedback you have the time to give!

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

**3. **

Caroline's head spins.

_Tyler isn't dead._

_Klaus isn't dead. _

_Klaus is in Tyler's body._

"We have to get Tyler back!" she cries, jumping to her feet and pulling Elena up with her, eyes flashing towards the door.

"I know," Bonnie agrees quickly, standing up as well. "It's just a little complicated, that's all."

"What's complicated about it?" Caroline demands in desperation, eyes wide on Bonnie's face.

"Well—" Bonnie looks at Elena for help, but this is all very much out of Elena's league so all she can do is shrug back weakly. "I need to say a spell over both of them," she says finally, twisting her hands together. She glances at Elena again. "And there's no predicting what he might do when he realizes you're…" she gestures helplessly.

Elena bites her lip. "We have to get Klaus out of Tyler's body," she says quietly. "It's just a risk we'll have to take."

"Uh-uh," Damon says crossly from the living room entrance before flashing towards them. "You aren't going anywhere."

Bonnie bristles. "You can't tell us what to—"

"Don't care what _you_ do, Judgey," he cuts her off. "You either, Blondie. Go on your merry little way; skip off to Oz, go somewhere over the rainbow, _whatever_. You," he glares down at Elena, "aren't going anywhere."

"For God's sake," she growls at him, and winces as fangs cut into her gums.

"Careful," he smirks. "Don't want to eat a local."

Elena pokes her finger in his chest and says ruthlessly, "I've had _enough_ of your crap, Damon! You're not my father, you're not my brother and you're not my _boyfriend_, so back off!"

It's suddenly so quiet that even Bonnie would be able to hear a pin drop and guilt immediately starts flashing across Elena's face. "Damon," she begins, voice softening, but he holds up a hand and shakes his head, not looking at her.

"You've made yourself very clear," he says quietly, and then he's gone.

The three of them stare at the spot he's just abandoned and Elena says quietly, "I'm always hurting one of them."

"Hey," Caroline says and she's suddenly in front of Elena, her fingers under Elena's chin. "Don't do that. Everything feels…just _more_ when you're a vampire, okay? Don't let it eat you up, because it _will_, if you let it. So don't."

Nodding, Elena takes a shaky breath and says, "We have to be back before the sun comes up." She wiggles ring-less fingers at them and glances at the grandfather clock. "That's what, eight hours? Give or take?"

Bonnie hesitates. "Maybe…maybe you shouldn't come, Elena," she says quietly. At Elena's expression, she amends hastily, "I don't want you getting stuck somewhere for hours if the sun comes up while we're out, or—"

"Then we're wasting time, because I'm coming with you," Elena says flatly. "This—well, most of it, anyway—is my fault, so I need to help fix it." Her tone makes it clear she will tolerate no more arguments.

As they climb in to Bonnie's car, Caroline tilts her head at Elena and says gently, "What's going on with Tyler and the Body Snatcher isn't your fault, Elena. It's _Esther's_. She's the one who's responsible for this, not you." Blue eyes peer searchingly into brown. "_Not _you."

Elena gives her a watery smile, but Caroline looks unconvinced. "You can't help who you are," she says fiercely, eyebrows slashing together. "Or the face you were born with."

….

Jeremy watches as the headlights of Bonnie's Prius become smaller and smaller, until they're just pinpricks in the darkness. Stefan claps him on the shoulder and hands him a drink. "Rough night," is all he says at Jeremy's questioning look.

"Yeah," he agrees slowly, holding the glass to his lips. But before he takes a sip, he realizes—"Hey Stefan, has anyone talked to Matt?"

Stefan blinks owlishly at him and then shakes his head, saying, "I don't think so."

"_Shit_," Jeremy mumbles, putting the glass down and fishing for his keys. He's halfway out of the door when Stefan puts his hand on his arm and says, "I'll come too."

….

When Matt answers his front door, Jeremy thinks, _Damn, he looks like hell._

"Damn, you look like hell," he says and Matt shakes his head, choking out, "Jer—Jer, I'm so _sorry_, man—Elena, she—I was unconscious and she—"

Jeremy reaches through the doorway and pulls Matt into a bear hug; he could give less than zero shits about how unmanly it looks. Ric's dead and Elena's mostly dead, and it's just him and Matt and Bonnie left on Team Human; so yeah, he bear hugs his friend.

"It's not your fault," Jeremy says and Matt's shoulders are shaking because his body doesn't realize he has no more tears left to cry.

"Matt," Stefan says quietly, and Jeremy and Matt both jerk; Jeremy had forgotten Stefan was even there. "Matt, Elena's okay."

"Not _okay_," Jeremy corrects him. "But not dead, either." _Mostly dead is slightly alive_.

Matt is looking at Stefan like he's drowning and Stefan just tossed him a rope. "W-What?"

"Meredith Fell—" Stefan begins to explain, and Jeremy really can't hear this again so he cuts him off and says, "Elena's a vampire, Matt."

Matt's entire body sags. "Oh, _God_," he moans, hands going to his face. "But—but she didn't _want_—"

"It was…" Stefan pauses, clearly searching for the right words. "It was pretty much an accident."

Matt can't look at Jeremy because Elena's a _vampire_ and it's his fault. He's not only stolen the life of the girl he loves but her _future_ too and holy hell he _hates_ himself.

His hands drop from his face and he glares at Stefan. "You should've saved _her_!" he shouts and Jeremy turns away; he can't listen to this. "You _love_ her, why didn't you _save_ her?" Matt's knees are shaking and about to give out; and the next thing he knows, Stefan's gripping both of his arms.

"Look at me, Matt," Stefan orders and Matt can barely see him through the tears he thought he had ran out of hours ago. "_You did not kill Elena._ It was an _accident_, a tragic accident and it is _not your fault._" He pauses and continues, his voice becoming so quiet that Jeremy can't hear him, "You are not responsible for the death of the girl you love."

…

"You don't think he's bailed, do you?" Caroline asks Bonnie anxiously and Bonnie shakes her head as Caroline continues worriedly, "I'm pretty sure Elijah and Rebekah went to find him, and what if they decided it wasn't worth waiting for you?" She's almost bouncing off her seat with apprehension, hands twisting in her lap.

Bonnie shakes her head again, more intently this time. "He needs me to get back to his own body because I _highly_ doubt even Klaus can find a willing witch on this short notice," she assures Caroline, "And I told him to stay put." Bonnie pulls her car over and parks it. She turns to Elena as they get out of the car and says, "If it starts getting light outside, I don't care what's going on, you _run_. That's the condition of you being here."

"Got it," Elena agrees as the three pick through the woods down to the Lockwood cellar.

Caroline stops dead in her tracks, Bonnie bumping into her back. "They're _there_," she hisses at them. "Elijah and Rebekah. They're down there." She looks pointedly at Elena. "Point of no return. You're one hundred percent sure about wanting to be involved with this?"

"Definitely," Elena confirms, eyes narrowing at the cellar entrance. Caroline glances at Bonnie over her shoulder and shrugs. "Okay then."

"Klaus!" Bonnie shouts, and before any three of them can blink, Elijah, Rebekah, and Tyler—_Klaus_, Caroline corrects herself firmly, crossing her arms over her chest, are standing in front of them. Rebekah's eyes narrow on Elena, shock mingled with more than a little fear crossing her face.

"You're supposed to be _dead_," Rebekah cries at her, and Caroline sees what's coming before Elena can move; she flashes in front of her friend as Rebekah starts to lunge, and snaps, "Back off, Barbie Klaus! She _is_ dead!"

Elena presses her forehead into Caroline's shoulder blades and draws in a shaky breath because she keeps forgetting she doesn't need them. _I'm dead_._ No more reason to breathe._ She feels eyes on her and peaks over Caroline's shoulder to find Elijah staring at her, expression unreadable.

"You heard her," Bonnie says fiercely, eyes locked on Klaus. "Back off."

"Haven't you lot done _enough_," Rebekah hisses at Bonnie. "You've _destroyed_ our family—"

"Pretty sure your family destroyed itself," Bonnie retorts viciously. "Imploded, if I'm not mistaken. Unless I was _imagining_ your mother asking me to help _kill_ you—"

Elena flinches at the acid in Bonnie's voice and Caroline whispers in soft admonishment, "_Bonnie_." Elijah has to actually restrain Rebekah back as she bares her fangs.

"Bekah," Klaus says sharply and Caroline balks, looking away. "That's quite enough."

There is silence until Bonnie says flatly, "We want our friend back, and I know you don't want to stay in Tyler's body forever, so let's just get this over with."

Klaus tilts his head at them and says smoothly, "Couldn't agree more, sweetheart. Lead on."

…

Damon's storage facility is about a two-hour drive from Mystic Falls and when they cross Wickery Bridge on their way out of town, Elena's entire body goes rigid.

"Rebekah was just standing there," she whispers, shivering as they drive over the river. "She just stood there, staring at us. Matt swerved to avoid hitting her." A few more seconds, and then the bridge is in Bonnie's rearview mirror and Elena's muscles slowly relax. "She wanted us to die—wanted _me_ to die."

"Evil blood slut," Caroline mutters. "Matt should've just hit her. It's not like it would've killed her, _unfortunately_. And anyway, I thought she _liked_ Matt?"

"Apparently not as much as she hates me," Elena responds bitterly, staring at her reflection in the window.

"We should've desiccated all of them," Bonnie says darkly, knuckles white on the steering wheel.

When they pull up to the storage facility, Elijah's car is already there and the Originals are waiting outside of it.

"Took you long enough," Rebekah snaps, hopping off the hood of the car as Bonnie slams her door shut.

Bonnie whirls around and Elena's surprised when Rebekah doesn't catch on fire and burn to ash because the look in Bonnie's eyes is _terrifying_. "Let's get one thing straight here," Bonnie grinds out. "We're on my timetable and I'm not doing this for any of _you_."

Rebekah opens her mouth—_probably to list a string of threats that involve organ removal,_ Elena thinks—but Klaus cuts her off. "Let's try and keep this civil, Bekah, for just a little longer. What's the facility number?" Rebekah glares at Bonnie before biting off, "Ten twenty."

"Shall we, sweetheart?" Klaus asks Bonnie easily, holding out his arm. Her eyes flick down to it and she looks back up at him like he's just offered her a poisonous snake to hold on to. He laughs lowly as she storms into the facility in front of him. Rebekah and Caroline are both on their heels, leaving Elena and Elijah standing awkwardly (well—_she's_ standing awkwardly, but one sneaking glance at Elijah confirms to Elena that he's _never_ awkward) together.

"I'm very sorry this has happened to you," Elijah surprises her by saying quietly. "I know it's not what you wanted."

Elena looks away and laughs a little, but there is no humor in it. "You must think I'm pretty stupid for ever believing I had a shot at _not_ ending up like this."

Elijah regards her seriously. "No, I don't think you are stupid," he says thoughtfully. "Hopeful, yes, but never stupid. You did not run from life. I know you are not Katerina."

Her breath catches and when she blinks, she feels wetness behind her eyelids. "That makes one of us," she whispers, hugging herself tightly.

When she looks up, he's standing directly in front of her, frowning a little. "Because of the Salvatores?" There's a giant lump in her throat as she nods.

Elijah very slowly—almost hesitantly—reaches over and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "The difference is," he says gently, fingers coming to rest under her chin, lightly prodding her face up to meet his before they fall back to his side, "you care for them more than you care for yourself. You are selfless where Katerina thinks of no one but herself."

Elena swallows hard, tears still threatening to fall down her face. "But how do you _know_?"

He tilts his head at her slightly. "I've been alive for over a thousand years, Elena," he reminds her. "You may share Katerina's face, but that is all you share."

…

Bonnie flips open the top of the coffin and examines Klaus's (real) body as he leans over and wrinkles his nose. "Apologies, sweethearts," he says to the three of them, "Desiccation looks good on no man."

Caroline rolls her eyes and Bonnie simply ignores him, eyes shut and whispering in Latin. Caroline's hand shoots out to grab Bonnie's arm and she says, "Wait!" Three pairs of eyes turn to her, Bonnie's curious, Rebekah's particularly murderous, and Klaus's—well, she chooses to pass over _that_ can of worms. _You're strong and have a beautiful future ahead of you._

"Bonnie," she says softly, "He's gonna need blood, and you're the only human."

Bonnie smiles at her, but it doesn't reach her eyes and she says, "I'll be fine, Care. Trust me." Caroline reluctantly lets go of her and Bonnie starts up the chant again.

"Concerned for me, love?" Klaus says, watching her face. She rolls her eyes.

"Hardly," she scoffs. "More like concerned for _Bonnie_. You know, my _friend._"

Something passes over his face and Caroline feels a flash of guilt that she hastily pushes away, because it's not like he can actually be hurt. That would require actual _feelings_.

_You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light_—she shakes her head and focuses on Bonnie. She's not losing anyone else tonight, not even temporarily.

Bonnie's voice trails off and she opens her eyes slowly. For a long moment, nobody moves until Rebekah cries, "Shouldn't something be bloody _happening_?"

No sooner than the words have left her mouth, Klaus blinks slowly and looks at Caroline. "Care?"

Not moving a muscle, Caroline's eyes sweep over to Klaus's desiccated (real) body; sure enough his eyes are open—_creepy much?_—and she nearly tackles Tyler, her arms flying around his neck.

"I thought you were dead," she whispers shakily into his neck. His arms are wrapped tightly around her waist and she's pretty sure her feet aren't even touching the floor. "Care," Tyler says over and over and she's definitely crying, her tears soaking his shirt.

"Enough of this. Wake my brother up," Rebekah snarls at Bonnie. Tyler sets Caroline back on her feet and she turns in his arms to look at Bonnie.

Bonnie hesitates briefly, but before Rebekah can start shrieking about ripping hearts out, she uses the small Swiss Army knife on her car keys to nick a cut into the fleshy part of her arm and lets the blood drip.

When he sits up, Klaus is in full vampire face, but he doesn't hurl himself at Bonnie like Caroline was expecting (every muscle in her body is tense, standing at attention in case she has to jump in front of her friend). Rebekah throws her arms around him and Bonnie and Caroline exchange glances because Rebekah is _sobbing_ and saying, "Nik, Nik, Nik."

Bonnie jerks her head towards the door and starts to leave with Caroline behind her, Tyler's hand firmly encased in her own.

"Bonnie," Klaus says before they can slip away undetected. Bonnie turns and crosses her arms, eyebrows raised. Klaus nods at her and says, "Thank you, sweetheart," and Caroline is a little floored because there isn't a trace of sarcasm in his voice. Even Bonnie looks surprised as she says, "You're welcome." Her face hardens before she adds, "Stay away from us."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Rebekah calls out after them, and seriously? Caroline rolls her eyes at Bonnie and Tyler says, "We should just _go_."

"This affects you too, ingrate," Rebekah snaps as she and Klaus (who's cracking the bones in his neck) join them in the hallway. "In case you didn't remember, there's still an immortal stake out there that can kill _every_ vampire."

Tyler scowls at both of them, and Caroline squeezes his hand before saying, "We don't even know where it is."

"That's easily solved," Rebekah says, "because it so happens that I do." She sends Caroline a triumphant smirk. "Damon has it."

….

Jeremy's staring at the ceiling, Stefan's staring at the teapot that is taking an awfully long time to whistle, and Matt is staring at nothing.

His phone buzzing snaps Stefan out of his trance. "Damon."

"Where are you, Stefan?" Damon demands and Stefan can hear ice clinking in a glass.

"Matt Donovan's house."

Damon laughs bitterly into the phone. "Of course you are. _Saint Stefan_, the patron of brooding and boyfriend perfection."

Stefan sighs, shoving his free hand into his jeans pocket and shifting on his feet. "Is there something you need, Damon?"

"Oh, there are _a lot_ of things I need, brother, but at this particular moment in time, I've gotta say I'd really like it if Elena didn't get burned to crispy critter on her first actual _day_ as a vampire."

The teapot starts to hum. "They're still not back?"

"Nope," Damon drawls, popping the 'p.' "And no one's answering their phones, even though I'm _pretty_ sure Barbie's bitch-buttoning me."

"Caroline and Bonnie won't let anything happen to Elena," Stefan says firmly and the teapot is near to shrieking. At Elena's name, Jeremy and Matt both look over at Stefan and he whisks the teapot of the stove burner.

"You say that as if they're capable people, which they're _not._ They couldn't keep a goldfish alive between the two of them."

"Look, Damon—"

"Save it, Stefan," Damon says, his voice turning frosty. "Go back to playing hero, since you're _so_ good at it." There's a pause and then nothing; Damon has hung up and once again, Stefan is disconnected from his brother. _That's applicable in so many ways,_ he thinks tiredly.

He sighs and tosses his phone gently on Matt's kitchen table, pouring tea into three mugs. Glancing back at Matt, who still looks dead in the eyes, Stefan pulls a bottle of whiskey down from the top cabinet and adds a small splash of it to one of the mugs.

"It'll help," he says when they both look at him like he's crazy. Matt swallows a little and his eyes immediately fly up to Stefan, who shrugs at him.

"Thanks," he says quietly, taking a longer sip.

Jeremy keeps flipping his phone open, then shut: open, shut, repeat. "Think they got the spell to work?" he asks apprehensively. Stefan shrugs again.

"You're _sure_ Tyler's okay?" Matt asks for the third time, looking pleadingly at Stefan.

"He's fine," Stefan says firmly. "It's no different from when Klaus took over Alaric's body, and Alaric was fine afterward." Jeremy flinches at both times Stefan uses Ric's name but he doesn't say anything.

"I wish I didn't know about this," Matt says, voice haunted. "I wish I didn't know about any of this." The names float across his mind—_Vicki, Caroline, Tyler, Mr. Saltzman, Elena._ He wishes he didn't know because if he didn't, Vicki might have just run off to California like she'd always threatened, Caroline and Tyler might just be his ex-girlfriend and his best friend dating, Mr. Saltzman might have just been a history teacher in love with Elena's aunt Jenna, and _Elena._ If he didn't know about the vampires, Elena might just be the girl he still sees himself marrying ten years down the road.

But he does know about vampires, and every name he sees written on the backs of his eyelids belongs to someone who's _dead_.

….

"Damon's gonna have a shit fit if I keep ignoring his calls," Caroline points out from the backseat of Bonnie's car, her back pressed firmly against Tyler's chest and her head tucked under his chin.

"We're almost there," Bonnie says, "and we've got time before the sun comes up."

"Can't believe you un-desiccated Klaus," Tyler says, shaking his head. "Wasn't that the answer to all of our problems in the first place?"

Before Bonnie or Caroline can answer, Elena says, "Me being dead is the answer to all of our problems. And he can't even kill anyone over it because it's Rebekah's fault." She pauses before adding, "We'll just give them the stupid stake and maybe they'll leave town for good."

"Damon will hate that plan," Caroline says. "Not that it matters, just saying."

"Damon gets one vote, just like everyone else," Elena says primly, staring out the window.

"Democracy in action," Tyler comments appreciatively, his nose in Caroline's hair. "I like it."

…

"Tyler and I can't go home," Caroline reminds the occupants of the car wistfully as they re-enter Mystic Falls, her fingers intertwined with Tyler's. She swallows hard and thinks about her mother. _Where are we supposed to go?_ "The Council…."

Elena bites her lip and twists in her seat to face them. "But you can't leave," she protest. "We need you to stay—_I_ need you to stay." She hesitates, heart twisting and eyes bright with tears threatening to fall. She hates herself for being so incredibly selfish but she's already the rope in Damon and Stefan's eternal tug-of-war and she desperately wants someone whose main concern is _listening_ to her, not one-upping a rival. She wants _Caroline_; she wants Caroline and Bonnie and to be sixteen with parents. Her throat constricts; she can't lose anyone else she loves.

Caroline reaches forward and takes her hand. "We don't know if anywhere is safe," she points out gently. "If Alaric told the Council about us," she gestures to the space between her and Tyler, "then who knows what else he told them about? Stefan, Damon, the boarding house? We can't risk it."

"You can stay with me," Bonnie offers. "You'd have to stick with me most of the time, so you wouldn't have much freedom. But you could stay in Mystic Falls until we figure out how to best handle the Council. As far as places to stay go, I'm probably your safest bet."

Caroline sits up interestedly. "It might be a temporary solution," she contemplates thoughtfully, turning to Tyler. He looks less than thrilled.

"I'll do whatever you do, Care," he tells her seriously, "but this feels really risky."

"If the Council knows about Stefan and Damon," Elena says slowly, pulling nervously on a thick bundle of hair, "then they'll have to leave too." She leaves herself out of it—she's pretty sure Meredith Fell won't out her and she refuses to leave Jeremy.

"We'll figure that out when we have to," Bonnie promises firmly, pulling her car into the Salvatore driveway. "But for right now, we need to deal with getting the Originals to leave and that means either figuring out a new plan or making Damon hand over that stake."

….

"You woke him _up_?" Damon demands in disbelief and Elena sighs, hand rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"_Yes_," she says again, exasperated. Stefan hands her a glass filled with red and she sends him a questioning look. "Rabbit," he says and Damon rolls his eyes to the ceiling, mouthing, _oh my God_.

"Let me get this straight," he says waspishly, "You woke up the guy we've been trying to get rid of for _months_," he jabs his finger in Elena's direction, "The guy who just _yesterday_ was draining you of all your blood, and now you want to just hand over the only weapon—literally the _only_ leverage we have? Did you all wake up _stupid_ this morning? Let me break down it simply for you. _Not. Happening._"

"We can't just give it to them," Stefan agrees quietly and Damon's eyes swing heavenward as he says dramatically, "Hallelujah, signs of intelligence!"

"That's the only way they'll leave," Caroline reminds them. "And I'd rather the Originals have the only thing that can end our bloodline than risk the Council getting their hands on it—because they, by the way, in case you forgot, are out for _blood_." She pauses. "Metaphorically speaking, anyway. At least we know the Originals won't stake _themselves_." Damon glares at her and she raises her eyebrows at him, daring him to argue.

"Can it even be destroyed?" Stefan asks reasonably, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Bonnie is frowning at the stake. "Esther bound it to Alaric's ring," she says slowly, hand hovering over it. "So it should be immortal."

"_Fantastic_," Damon groans, pushing away from the table and reaching for a whiskey bottle. "I need a drink."

Bonnie ignores him "But there's always a loophole," she says quietly, almost to herself. "Magic always has a back door."

"Do you think you can undo it?" Elena asks, staring at the stake and frowning.

"Maybe…I'll have to do some serious research though, and I doubt the witches will be very helpful," she says pessimistically. "But if I can undo the spell, I don't think we should destroy it."

Damon snorts. "Of _course_ you don't. It's just your two _best friends_ that could die."

"We're on the same side here, moron," she snaps back at him. "We'll tell the Originals we'll undo the spell if they agree to leave town, but that we're not giving it to them. Undo the spell so it can only be used once and we have leverage that won't destroy your bloodline." She pauses. "If applied properly."

Elena raises her index finger and says, "So option one: keep the immortal stake and the Originals refuse to leave," She holds up a second finger. "Option two: De-spell the stake and keep it as leverage—leverage for what, though?" She looks pointedly at Damon. "In case Rebekah or Elijah or Kol pisses you off and you decide to end an entire line?" She doesn't wait for him to answer as she raises a third finger. "Or option three: just _give_ it to them. They leave, they definitely won't be using it on each other, and all the bloodlines are fine." She shrugs, dropping her hand back to her side. "I vote option three. Or de-spell it and destroy it. I just want it _gone_."

"I'm with Elena," Caroline pipes up. "Why are we even still trying to kill them? Klaus can't use Elena's blood now and they've made it perfectly clear they want nothing to do with us anymore."

Damon leers at her. "Not _all_ of us, Barbie."

Caroline doesn't miss a beat. "Hate to break your heart, Damon, but I'm pretty sure Rebekah prefers Stefan," she shoots back acidly. Impressed, he tips his glass at her. _Touché._

Bonnie sighs as she gets up, moving to take the stake. Instantly, Damon is at her side, hand wrapping firmly around it. "Not happening, _Bon_."

"Do you really think the Council is going to leave you alone after that bomb Alaric dropped in their laps?" she says impatiently, reaching for the stake. He holds it away from her.

"Can't let you have it," he says airily. "You might get stabby."

"Don't know why you're worried. After all, it's just my two _best friends_ that could die," she retorts, eyes narrowing at him. Immediately he gives a shout of pain and grips his head as she plucks the stake easily out of his hand.

Bonnie turns to Elena. "You need a ring," she says, nodding at the windows and not smiling.

"Right," Elena says faintly. "A daylight ring." Because she needs one if she wants to wake up with her curtains open, sunlight on her face. She needs a ring to make sure she won't catch on fire if she ever wants to see the sun again.

"I'll work on it," Bonnie says, glancing at Caroline and nodding at the door. "Tyler?" Caroline calls into the living room where he's sitting on the couch, on the phone with Matt, reassuring him that he's real, alive, and safe. She only hears his side of the conversation but it is enough to bring tears to her eyes. _No, man, I'm fine. Matt, it's okay…but you didn't lose me, or Elena. _His voice lowers and becomes gravelly. _Yeah…I know. I—I love you too, man. _

When he hangs up and turns to her, both of her hands are pressed against her mouth, her eyes glassy with wetness. He takes it all in and then his hands go to cup her face.

"Hey," he croons comfortingly, arms going around her. "Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay."

She breathes him in, searing his scent and the feel of him holding her into her mind. "I just—" she chokes out before hugging him so tightly she worries vaguely that she might break his ribs.

"Yeah," he says into her hair. "I know."

…..

Bonnie pulls into her driveway and tells Caroline as she cuts her car engine, "You can borrow some of my clothes until we come up with a plan." All three of them get out of her car and start walking to her front door.

Caroline shoots her a grateful smile. "Thanks Bon, we really—"

The crunch of footsteps makes her falter and Tyler's hand goes to her back, his nose to her ear.

"Don't react," he orders so softly that even her vampire hearing barely picks up on it. "Someone's here. Go inside and stick close to Bonnie."

Her eyes flash to his and her protest is already forming on her lips when he says with phony normalcy, "Damn, left my phone in the car." He leans in to kiss her cheek and reiterates forcefully in that terrifyingly quiet voice, "_Get in the house, Caroline_."

_No!_ her brain screams defiantly, desperately. _No, no, no, I just got you back, don't you dare—_but then he's turning away and jogging lightly back to the car and Bonnie is unlocking her front door—

And then everything goes to hell.

...

**tbc.**

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**A/N:** Feedback is very much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **None of this is even remotely mine. Title is from Explosions in the Sky.

**A/N:** What an evil cliffhanger, right? Thanks to everyone who reviewed, Story Alerted, Favorite-d, etc. Makes my heart go warm and fuzzy. If you've Story Alerted, Favorite-d, reviewed before, whatever—please, please, please review! It's so great hearing what everyone thinks, especially when there's this many personalities to juggle. :)

Just an FYI, I have exams this week, so I probably won't be updating until the weekend—possibly Thursday at the absolute _earliest_. Enjoy and review! xo

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

**4.**

"Look," Elena says frustratedly. "You're being way too idealistic, Stefan. I can't just _not_ ever drink human blood—it's not a smart idea."

His face is impassive. "So you're going with Damon's plan."

_For crying out loud._ Elena wishes that it wasn't always about _picking_ one of them, wishes that it had never turned into that—and she knows she has herself to blame for most of it, but she's only eighteen. _The furthest in the future I should be thinking about is where to go college, _she thinks bitterly. _Not which undead brother I want to date for the rest of eternity._ She isn't even supposed to have eternity—just a lifetime.

Realizing that Stefan is still waiting for an answer, she internally scolds herself to stop moping and returns her focus on the issue at hand. "I'm not going to _kill_ anyone," she reminds him bluntly. "But I think it's better to not get caught off guard if someone gets a paper cut in Calculus."

"Glad to hear you've decided to stop acting brain damaged," Damon drawls, shooting Stefan a triumphant look. Elena flashes back to Bonnie's comment earlier—_around and around we go. _Stefan shakes his head. "I want whatever you want, Elena," he says quietly.

"What I want right now," she tells him seriously, "is to go _home_ and sleep."

Stefan pulls out his car keys. "I'll drive you."

"Actually," she says quietly, "I'd like to walk. By myself." At his expression, she puts her hand on his arm and says gently, "Stefan, I just need a little bit of time, okay? This is—I have to figure this out for myself. That…that doesn't mean I don't need you—" she steals a quick glance over at Damon, guilt still pooling in her stomach over her earlier outburst, "or Damon, I just have to be…on my own for a little bit."

He's silent for a few brief moments before squeezing her hand and saying, "No, I get it. It's a new normal, and you need to adjust."

"Exactly," she confirms. "I'm not disappearing or anything." Stefan walks her to the door and says, "If you need _anything_, Elena—"

"I know," she tells him appreciatively, giving him a small smile. "You're a phone call away."

She starts to make her way from the Salvatore boarding house to her own home, eyes shutting tightly before she heads home—because once she's in her own room, everything becomes a more permanent version of real. Eyes opening, she steels herself and continues walking. She forgets for a moment that it's only her memory of the cold that she's feeling and not the actual chill in the night air, she pulls her jacket tightly around herself and breaths deeply as she walks down the sidewalk. The air smells like the piles of leaves her dad used to let her and Jeremy jump in when he was done raking and she feels the familiar pang that comes whenever she thinks about her parents.

"You must be crazy if you think you're walking home by yourself," Damon comments causally from beside her. Elena tenses.

"Really, Damon?" she says exasperatedly, stopping and crossing her arms. "You couldn't even give me this much, couldn't have listened to me just the one time?"

"I know you think that we're—that _I'm_ being tyrannical," he says, and she snorts because that's putting it lightly. "But we both thought you were dead, Elena. Permanently dead. Gone _forever _dead. And then it turns out we get this second chance—"

"Stop saying _we_," she cuts him off. "It's creepy. You and Stefan aren't my brother-husbands."

He rolls his eyes at her, and corrects himelf. "Fine. _I_ got this second chance and I'm not letting anything happen to you."

She sighs, fingers going to rub her temples even though she knows she's imagining the ache in her head. "Damon, that's always been your problem. You don't respect my decisions—"

"Because your decisions usually _suck_," he interjects defensively and she shakes her head.

"But they're still mine to make. I'm eighteen, Damon_._ I'm allowed to make sucky choices—I'm _expected_ to make them. That's called living."

"And if Stefan hadn't _respected_ your decision, you'd actually be _alive_," he says, eyes intent on hers.

"But Matt wouldn't be," she points out solemnly. "And even if I could forgive myself for that, do you think I could move on from it? Someone _else_ dying for me, again? Would you really wish that hell on me?"

Damon blinks at her and Elena says gently, "Go home, Damon. Everything will be better tomorrow."

He rubs the back of his neck ruefully. "It _is_ technically tomorrow but—how can you possibly know that?"

She shrugs and says quietly, "Because it won't be today."

…

"Bonnie!" Caroline screams and Bonnie is rooted to the spot in pure, unadulterated shock. _Snap out of it_, she orders herself but it isn't until Caroline screams her name a second time that she reacts, magic billowing up inside of her and forcing itself out like a sonic boom.

There are at least a dozen Council members laying siege to her front yard and Bonnie notes with grim satisfaction that her spell took out a few. She runs forward in the brief respite and grabs Caroline's hand, pulling her away from the driveway and forcing her through the front door of the Bennett house. As soon as Bonnie herself is inside, the door slams shut on its own and Bonnie whispers several choice spells, sealing the house off.

"Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie," Caroline is nearly hyperventilating, tears streaking down her face. "Bonnie, they took _Tyler_, we have to get him back, we have to _save_ him, Bonnie—"

"Caroline," Bonnie interrupts firmly, taking Caroline's face in both of her hands and looking directly into her friend's panicked eyes. "We'll get him back, but you have to calm down for me, okay? Come on, inhale big deep breath," Caroline takes in a big shaky breath, her mouth still trembling. "Exhale big deep breath," Bonnie orders, letting go as Caroline complies. "Calm?"

Caroline nods and whispers, "Bonnie, the _Council_—"

"I know," she says fiercely, voice sinister. "I saw. They must have started watching my house once they figured out you and Tyler weren't going back to your own." She pulls her phone out and taps Elena's name as Caroline continues to desperately rein in her emotions, one hand clamping down on her mouth to stop the torrent of words.

"Hey, Bon, what's up?"

Bonnie wastes no time. "The Council attacked us. Where are you?"

"_What_—I just got home! Are you okay? Are Caroline and Tyler—" Caroline quietly moans _oh my God _at Tyler's name and Bonnie tenses as she grabs for Caroline's hand. _Breathe_, Bonnie mouths before turning her attention back to Elena.

"They took Tyler," she says harshly and Elena's gasp is quick and sharp.

"We have to get him back," Elena says, voice shaking. "But why would they just go after Caroline and Tyler? Do you think Alaric didn't say anything about Stefan and Damon?"

"I have no idea," Bonnie says flatly, and all the candles in her house light up, flames arching towards the ceiling. "But right now we have to assume that he did."

"I just left the boarding house—Damon even walked me halfway home and nothing happened, Bonnie."

Bonnie shakes her head and says warningly, "We're not risking it. Is Jeremy with you?"

"He's on his way home with Matt right now."

"Good," she says. "Make them stay there with you until either me or Care calls you and tells you it's safe."

"I will," Elena agrees immediately. "You two stay safe, okay?"

Bonnie takes in Caroline's tear-stained face and shaking hands and her eyes narrow. "Don't worry," she says forcefully. "We will."

As soon as she hangs up, Caroline says, her voice several octaves higher than normal, "The Originals, Bonnie. They can help us, they can't be killed except by that stake and they want it and we have it and we can make a _deal_—" She cuts herself off to tamp down a new wave of hysterics.

Bonnie's hand slips into her bag and she fingers the stake thoughtfully. "They help us get Tyler back and take down the Council, we hand it over." Caroline nods, not trusting herself to speak.

"Okay," Bonnie agrees, scrolling down her contacts and pausing when she gets to the Ks. She hands the phone to Caroline. "He'll be more inclined to help if you talk to him."

Caroline could give less than zero shits that she's about to play on whatever weird infatuation Klaus has with her; all she can see is Tyler with vervained ropes around his arms, yelling at her to run. She can almost feel them on her own arms, and her face burns where the horrible thing that had masqueraded as Alaric had gagged her. _Breath_, she orders herself as the phone begins to ring. _Inhale. Exhale. Repeat._

He answers on the third ring and his sardonic greeting is barely in her ear when she says, voice trembling and cracking over his name, "Klaus—Klaus, they took _Tyler_ and I _have_ to get him back, please, you have—"

"Caroline," he interrupts and she recognizes the sound of his tone. _I've thought about it once or twice over the centuries…You run straight home. Do not go outside, do you understand me? _ "Calm down, sweetheart. Tell me what you need."

_Inhale. Exhale. _"The Council—they ambushed us at Bonnie's and they took _Tyler_ and we're trapped in her house because they're still outside and they—"

He interrupts her again. "Put Bonnie on the phone, love."

She shakes her head and says fiercely, "_No_. You have to help us—Klaus, you have to help _me._" She's definitely crying again but she manages to keep a lid on her panic this time. "You have to help me get him back, _please._"

There's a pause and for a wild, terrifying moment Caroline thinks he might actually refuse her. Because really, why would _Klaus_ go out of his way to save his rival? But then he surprises her. "I'll help you, sweetheart. But first I need you to put Bonnie on the phone." Relief floods through her limbs and she needs to sit down.

She wordlessly extends the phone out to Bonnie, who snaps into the speaker, "Are you helping or not?"

Caroline tunes the rest of it out. _Inhale. Exhale. Repeat._

She would get Tyler back. _Inhale_. Klaus would make it happen. _Exhale._

….

"You're _joking_," Rebekah says disbelievingly. "You're actually going to help them?"

Klaus pushes down on the square with the red phone on his screen with a little more force than necessary. "They've offered the stake in return. And it would be rather irritating if the Mystic Falls Council managed to get their hands on it."

"Oh please, Nik," she says, eyeing him knowingly. "You're helping because _Caroline_ called you crying her pretty little eyes out, and we all know that you can't resist a damsel in distress." It's a mark of how distraught she remains from his brush with death that there is only exasperated fondness in her voice and no bite.

"Rebekah," Elijah says in gentle rebuke. "Personal motivations aside, we do need that stake. To be perfectly honest, I never saw them giving it to us peacefully in the first place."

She rolls her eyes. "So we save the day, give Caroline her silly little boyfriend back—but the stake can still _kill_ us." She leans forward and says, "The deal should be our help for handing over a de-spelled stake. We can toss it in the fire and be on our way out of this awful little town. I'll call Kol to come join in the fun." Her eyes sweep her two brothers before she moves slightly away from them and pulls her phone out.

Klaus and Elijah exchange looks. "What do you think, brother?" Elijah asks, clapping Klaus on the shoulder. Klaus meets Rebekah's eyes and says, "I say it sounds like a plan. How do you propose we get Caroline and Bonnie out from under the Council?" There is silence except for Rebekah saying, "Kol, you have to come _now_—"

Brainstorming, Klaus calls it; scheming, Rebekah turns to correct him, holding her phone at her ear. Elijah doesn't say anything, only paces.

Elijah regards Klaus thoughtfully. "It has to be distraction," he says eventually. "We have to distract them. Buy the girls enough time to escape."

"Sounds awfully simply," Klaus remarks disapprovingly and Elijah raises an eyebrow at him before responding, "Less to go wrong, then."

Rebekah is hanging up as she turns to them and says, "Kol should be here soon. What's the plan?"

Elijah looks at Klaus for an argument and when none is brokered, he tells her, "Distraction."

Rebekah snorts indelicately and turns to Klaus. "How ironic then, Nik, that Caroline served as _your_ distraction so that her friends could try and kill us."

He _tsks_ at her. "So petty, Bekah."

…

"The Council grabbed Tyler," Elena says as soon as Jeremy and Matt walk into the Gilbert house, peering suspiciously down the street before locking the door firmly behind them. "Bonnie and Caroline are coming up with a plan to get him back."

Jeremy stares at her for a few seconds, uncomprehending, mouth opening then closing again. "_What_?"

Elena bites her lip and says again, her hand going to his shoulder comfortingly, "The Council—they have Tyler. But Bonnie and Caroline will get him back. They'll save him, Jer." Jeremy runs a hand over his scalp and she can tell he doesn't really believe her.

"They have Tyler?" Matt echoes faintly and Elena looks over at him for the first time. Guilt floods through her as she thinks that she didn't even think about what _he_ must be going through—thinking that Tyler had died, having his own brush with death and then thinking that she was dead as well. She drops her hand from Jeremy's shoulder and takes Matt's hand, leading him to sit on the couch. She wraps his hands in both of hers and meets his eyes, saying gently, "We'll get him back, Matt."

Matt's eyes are empty and Elena acts on impulse. She reaches forward and cradles his head against her chest, her chin dropping to rest on top of his crown. "It's okay, Matt," she whispers, trying her very best to ignore the beating of the pulse point in his neck. She focuses on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Everything is going to be okay."

"But it's not," he says, and his tone is flat and hopeless—another crack in her near-to-shattering heart. "Nothing's okay, Elena, and it hasn't been for a long time."

_A new normal_, Stefan had said. Elena squeezes her eyes shut, sees her parents and Jenna, Uncle John and Ric in her mind, and murmurs into Matt's hair, "I know. _I know_. But we have to keep going. We—we just have to keep going."

He doesn't respond and Elena feels wetness on her arm. Her hands stroke his hair and she shushes him softly, remembering Jenna's arms around her in the days after her parents' deaths. A new normal, but she's still pining for the old normal.

Jeremy comes to stand in front of them, face tightening at the sight of the two of them. "I'm going to Bonnie's," he announces, twisting his ring absently. Elena stiffens and Matt looks up from the haven of her arms.

"Jeremy—"

He shakes his head and says, "Tyler's my friend and Bonnie's…I'm going, Elena. The Council won't do anything to me and I can't just sit here and wait for news."

"You don't know that they won't hurt you, Jeremy! And that ring—you need to stop wearing it _and_ it won't do anything against the Council!"

"I don't care," he says fiercely, eyes narrowing at her. "You should stay here, but I'm going." And with that, he heads for the door.

Elena lets go of Matt and rushes after him. "Jer—Jeremy, _don't_—"

Jeremy pauses, hand on the doorknob and says quietly, "We're not losing anyone else, Elena," before he slips out into the slowly pinking sunrise.

She stares at the door unblinkingly and Matt comes up beside her and says quietly, "I'm sorry."

That shakes her out of her stupor and her forehead wrinkles. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Matt. Trust me."

He looks down at her and Elena remembers a time when she thought she could get lost forever in those eyes. Maybe she'd always been holding out hope that one day she would. "For swerving instead of braking."

It shouldn't make her laugh, but it does and Matt blinks in surprise before smiling back a little. "It's not really funny," she tells him, her smile lingering, "but it kind of is."

…

Caroline is wearing a frantic hole in Bonnie's living room carpet, mouth pressed into a tense, worried line. "They should be here by now."

Privately, Bonnie agrees, but Caroline looks so close to coming unraveled again, her edges fraying, that Bonnie shakes her head and says comfortingly, "They're coming, Care." She peeks out one of her curtains and notes that her front yard is empty. She keeps that information to herself, because she wouldn't be surprised if, upon hearing the coast was possibly clear, Caroline rushed outside only to get ambushed because Bonnie highly doubts the Council just _left_.

Bonnie's phone starts chirping. "There's no one out here," Rebekah informs her tartly, "but who knows how long that will last so hurry up." There's a _click_ and Bonnie grits her teeth.

"Are they here?" Caroline asks desperately, rushing to the door to peer out the glass windows that line it. "Is it safe yet?"

"Yeah," Bonnie says, and she reaches for Caroline's wrist as she tugs on the doorknob. "Come on."

As soon as their feet touch the Bennett welcome mat, Caroline flashes them over to Elijah's car, and Bonnie pushes Caroline in first before casting a wary look around her neighborhood.

"Are you coming or not?" Rebekah demands from next to Caroline in the back seat and Bonnie reminds herself that the Originals are a necessary evil until the people she loves are safe as she slides inside the car.

Caroline's fingers tap out a nervous, jittery rhythm on Bonnie's knee and Rebekah snaps, "For God's sake, Caroline, _stop_ that." Klaus turns slightly from the front passenger seat and shoots Rebekah a subtle glare; and it's apparent just how completely unfocused Caroline is on anything that doesn't directly involve rescuing Tyler when she only responds with an absent, "Sorry." Bonnie wraps her hands around Caroline's and squeezes.

"Any idea where they could have taken him?" Elijah asks, glancing up at them in the rearview mirror.

Bonnie shakes her head. "As far as I know, all the Council meetings were held at the Lockwood mansion, and they definitely didn't take him _there_. And they wouldn't risk taking him to any of their own houses because they'd have to invite him in." She starts running through names in her mind—_Gilbert, Salvatore, Lockwood, Forbes, Fell_—

"The Fell tomb," she blurts out and Caroline takes in a sharp breath. Elijah seems unfazed, giving only a short nod and smoothly turning the car in the direction of the cemetery.

After five minutes of tense, silent driving, Elijah pulls over into a dark, abandoned parking lot that has no lights on. "Don't want anyone to know we're coming," he explains at Bonnie's questioning look. Caroline is a bouncing bundle of nerves and anxiety and after Bonnie pulls her out of the car, she takes Caroline's face in her hands. "Hey," she says gently, voice soothing. "It's going to be fine, Care. You hear me?"

Caroline nods and says, "But—"

"No buts," Bonnie cuts her off, the hair on the back of neck rising as she sees out of her peripheral vision that all three Originals have turned to stare at them. "I've got your back, okay?"

"Yeah," Caroline says faintly, hands curling around Bonnie's wrists. "Yeah, okay."

The moment is interrupted by a new set of headlights and Bonnie drops her hands from Caroline's face; they both tense as though to prepare for a battle.

"Oh, calm down," Rebekah says dismissively with a roll of her eyes as the headlights dim and the engine cuts off. "It's only Kol."

"Great," Bonnie mutters to Caroline, who starts fidgeting again. "Another psycho Original."

"_Why_ are we helping with this again?" Kol wants to know as he gets out of the car; when he spies Caroline, realization dawns on his face and he smirks and says, "_Ah._ Suddenly everything makes sense." He turns to Klaus and says, voice turning more serious, "Good to see you're still among the living, Nik."

"You as well," Klaus says gravely in return and Rebekah gives them both a beaming smile that completely transforms her face.

The family reunion is cut short by the soft chirping of Bonnie's phone; four glares are sent her way along with a wide-eyed look of concern from Caroline. She thinks vicious thoughts in the direction of the Originals before whispering, "_What_, Jeremy?" into her phone.

"I went to your house and you were gone. Where are you?" he demands and her heart constricts because no way, no how is he participating in this. She tells him as much and he says back lowly, "I trusted you enough to let you kill me, Bonnie. Trust _me_ enough to let me help save my friend."

Iron fingers claw into the back of her throat as she fights to keep a volatile blend of frustration, desperation and tears under control. She turns pleadingly to Caroline, who forgets her own panic snaps into best friend-mode, taking Bonnie's phone away and saying gently into the speaker, "Hey, Jer." As she watches Caroline speak softly, Bonnie thinks vaguely that she should have thought to have her own crisis earlier—it would have apparently calmed Caroline down tremendously.

"Jeremy, you—" Caroline bites her lip as he cuts her off and then sighs. "_Nobody_ wants that, Jeremy." Her eyes meet Bonnie's and when she shakes her head, Bonnie's heart sinks. "That abandoned CVS just a little ways up from the cemetery." Caroline hands Bonnie her phone back and says quietly, "Looks like we'll be a party of seven."

Kol smirks at them and says, "Excellent. I've missed my dear friend Jeremy—tell me, how's he been?"

"Go to hell," Bonnie snaps, arms crossing over her chest. One of Caroline's hands buries itself in the crook of her elbow. Kol bestows a disarming smile upon her in return.

"Children," Klaus scolds before saying airily, "Well, this is as good a time as any to formulate a plan." Kol's mouth quirks and Rebekah laughs when he suggests brightly, "Kill everyone?" Caroline sends both of them a look of pure disgust.

"You couldn't have _stayed_ in Colorado?" Bonnie shoots at Kol and he leers back at her.

"Afraid not, darling," he says, making her skin crawl. She opens her mouth to retort—and possibly to fire a particularly nasty spell his way, she just hasn't decided which one—when Caroline jumps in, voice placating, "Alaric tipped them off, so that means they'll have access to all the weapons he had—guns with wooden bullets, vervain bombs, hidden stakes, the works." She swallows hard, forcing away thoughts of what they might be doing to Tyler because she seriously can't think about it right now.

Jeremy's car pulls into the lot, parking precariously and as he gets out, he brushes past all the Originals, eyes zeroed in on Bonnie. Caroline preemptively slides her hand away, feeling as though she might cry as Jeremy ignores all of them and pulls Bonnie into a tight embrace.

"How terribly romantic," Rebekah says in a mocking undertone to Kol and a thousand different insults are on the tip of Bonnie's tongue when _Elijah_ of all people says sternly, "Enough. For now, we are allies, and this is getting tiresome."

Jeremy lets go of Bonnie, casts a quick inspecting look over Caroline, then says, "I can go in and say that you called me for help, but that I've decided to take up my— you know, legacy instead. Buy some time."

"You can't openly fight on our side, Jeremy," Bonnie reminds him, fingers working on his sleeve. "You'd be putting you and Elena in danger."

"So I won't make it obvious," he says, looking down at her. "And then we've got eyes and ears inside the Council again."

"Fell's Tomb has one way in and one way out," Caroline says quietly. "How do we get in without getting stuck inside ourselves?"

She's hardly surprised when Klaus is the one who answers. "Bait," he says easily, looking directly at Jeremy. Kol grins and rubs his hands together, eyes glinting.

…

Elena's eyes blink open slowly as she leaves a dream and for a brief, terrifying moment she has no idea where she is. She sits straight up in panic, before deflating upon realizing that she had fallen asleep on the couch. She glances over at the recliner where Matt is still sleeping soundly. She rubs her temples and pulls her knees up to her chest, trying to remember what she had dreamed about.

Damon had been there, she knows that much. He had called her Katherine…she drops her head onto her knees and sighs. It had felt so real, almost like…her spine stiffens. _Like a memory_.

It floods back to her all at once—_You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure, and a little danger…I want you to get everything you're looking for._

"Oh my God," she whispers out loud, hand going to her mouth.

...

**tbc.**

* * *

**A/N: **Not as bad a cliffhanger as before, right? Feedback of any kind is beyond appreciated. Please please please let me know what you think! Until next time~


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** TVD is still not mine. Title is from the always amazing Explosions in the Sky.

— FYI: Changed my penname from **belleserenite **but never fear, I'm still me! —

**A/N:** I know this is a little bit later than I said it would be, but I promise I have a few good excuses—namely exams and I'm smack in the middle of moving _countries_ (well, technically I'm moving home, which is not the country I'm currently living in). Seriously, guys, I finished this chapter in a hotel room. That's the level of my dedication (which you should reward with reviews).

Thank you for the reviews, the alerts, etc. and please, if you haven't (or if you have) reviewed, consider doing so! Feedback is just the best thing.

Also for names of Council members, I used (and will continue to use) Alaric's alter ego's hit list. Who knows if they'll actually get used in S4, but I didn't really want to make up my own (I hate doing that). So until October, these are technically canon!

**A/N 2:** I do ship certain characters together more so than others (at some point I've wanted every pairing under the sun to happen because everyone on this show has mad chemistry with everyone) but I'm trying very hard to make sure everything happens organically and that nothing seems very OOC (just as an example—if Caroline had jumped Klaus's bones right after the de-desiccating, it would've been too weird, am I right?). Plus—EVERY SHIP IS SACRED (Monty Python, anyone? ...I'll see myself out).

Enjoy and don't forget to review! xo

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

**5. **

Jeremy's hands are shaking and his intestines feel like ice.

"It'll be okay," Bonnie whispers close to his ear, her hand gripping his upper arm tightly. "There is no reason for them to suspect anything. And at the first sign of anything wrong, we're getting you out of there." He nods jerkily, so unfocused that he barely sees what is in front of him and she drops her forehead to his shoulder, exhaling a soft, quaky breath.

"Bonnie…" he begins quietly, and when she pulls back slightly to look up at him, he completely loses his nerve. _I love you._ "Be careful."

Her eyes search his before she nods slowly. "You too, Jer."

"Yes, and she'll never let go because you jump, I jump," Rebekah snaps from her perch on the hood of Kol's car. "Can we get this bloody show on the road?"

Jeremy sees Bonnie's eyes flash, violent words forming on her lips and he intercedes quickly. "Do it."

The grin on Rebekah's face is almost feral and Jeremy has to force himself not to back up; Caroline bites her lip, anxiety written all over her face. He meets her eyes and she smiles weakly at him as Klaus leans down and says something lowly in her ear. Elijah watches them warily and Kol has a maniacal grin on his face that scares Jeremy way more than any of the Council.

Rebekah is directly in front of him, eyes pure obsidian and dark veins spiraling into her temples. "Don't worry," she says, her voice smooth and slow like warm honey. "It will only hurt for a bit." He squeezes his eyes shut tightly and waits.

...

_You want a love that consumes you._

_Maybe if I had met you first…_

Elena buries her face in her knees. So she had met Damon first—so what? What did that really change? When she had said that something like that might have changed things, might have made a difference, she's fairly positive she meant if she had _gotten to know_ Damon before Stefan. One random meeting in the middle of the road where he called her Katherine means she met him first only in the most technical sense of the word.

"I love Stefan," she says out loud and she jumps in surprise when Matt mumbles from the recliner, "Good to hear."

"Sorry," she whispers apologetically, flushing. "Go back to sleep." He starts snoring lightly before she's even finished her sentence and she smiles a little as she gets up and starts drawing the curtains shut.

_I want you to get everything you're looking for._

The problem now is that she has no idea just exactly what that is.

She goes up to her room and after she shuts her blinds and closes the curtains over them, she collapses onto her bed and stares up at the ceiling.

"I love Stefan," she says again softly, but unfortunately, her ceiling fan offers no advice. Elena turns her head in the direction of her dresser where a picture of her and Stefan is tucked securely into the mirror. She knows she loves Stefan, and she's pretty sure that hasn't changed; after all, he's still the boy who reminded her how to live when she had been so sure she would be dead inside forever.

But now she's actually dead, and Damon has burrowed his way under her skin.

She stands up and catches her own eyes in her dresser mirror—her reflection is the same as it's always been: brown hair, brown eyes, fairly clear skin and straight teeth. "What do you want, Elena Gilbert?" she asks quietly, but mirror Elena falls silent at the same time she does.

Biting her lip, she glances around the room nervously before she leans close to the glass and whispers, as softly as she can while still actually speaking because this is probably her biggest secret, "I love Damon."

There is no flash of light, no giant epiphany or whatever—she's not entirely sure what she had been expecting, but the words that had sounded so treasonous in her mind don't feel nearly so dramatic when spoken out loud.

But they don't feel all that wrong either.

She straightens her shoulders and looks directly at herself. "Okay, Gilbert," she says firmly. "Enough of this. Figure out what you want and deal with it."

_You want a love that consumes you…passion and adventure…a little danger._

And she really does. If she is being brutally honest with herself, and not just going along with what everyone else thinks she should want, she has to admit that passion has been in short order. Adventure and danger, not so much; but _passion_—can't breathe without you, need you now passion…she shakes her head at herself. It's been lacking.

_A love that consumes you…_but what happens next? The easy thing about her epic love story with Stefan is that she never worries about losing herself; but all-consuming, passionate love, love with Damon…she swallows hard.

Elena doesn't want to burn until all that's left is ash.

...

Elijah and Klaus's dual grips on Jeremy are tight, and he is incredibly grateful for that because his vision is steadily darkening and his legs wobble. The pain in his neck is almost unbearable; he chants _Tyler, Tyler, Tyler_ in his head and the rhythm syncs with the throbbing of the gash in his throat.

"I think we have something you may want back!" Klaus shouts towards the Fell tomb and Jeremy's knees give out; Elijah's arm shifts down to his waist and holds steady, forcing Jeremy to stand. He blinks and through blurry eyes sees a man approach cautiously. He coughs and tries to croak out, "Help," but the pain is too much and he barely gets the whole word out before spots swim in front of his eyes.

"Let him go," the man orders and Jeremy dizzily recognizes the voice of his neighbor Thomas Skinner. Klaus smirks back and says lightly, "I don't think so, mate. You see, you have something _we_ want."

Jeremy's ears start to ring and he coughs again, trying to focus his eyes on Thomas, who's scowling angrily.

"We won't trade. We don't compromise with the likes of _you._"

"Oh come now," Klaus coaxes, as though he were negotiating with a small child. "Surely you don't want _Jeremy Gilbert_ to bleed out in front of you, hmm?"

"Sacrifices must be made," Thomas says and Jeremy feels Klaus and Elijah exchange looks over his head.

"Let his blood be on your hands then," Elijah says coldly and Jeremy sees Thomas's suspicious expression before he sees nothing at all.

…...

"They wouldn't trade," Bonnie whispers, her voice high and thin. "Why wouldn't they trade?" Her heart constricts painfully as Jeremy drops lifelessly to his knees and Elijah and Klaus continue their standoff. Her fingers grasp Caroline's so tightly they leave bruises that quickly vanish.

"Time for Plan B," Rebekah says grimly, passing over the question, and Kol shoots Bonnie and Caroline a gleeful grin. Caroline ignores him and squashes her own growing panic to stare directly into Bonnie's eyes and say, "He was wearing his ring, Bon. By the time he wakes up, this will all be over." She squeezes Bonnie's cold hands encouragingly and Rebekah says in a bored tone, "Whenever you two are finished, we have a rescue to commence."

Caroline shoots her a dirty look and says, "She's ready. Right, Bonnie?" Bonnie refuses to look at Rebekah or Kol as she nods, eyes focused straight ahead and locked on Jeremy's body.

"Ready," she says lowly, and she feels her magic hum through her bloodstream. It runs across her frayed nerves like a balm, an old friend that she welcomes with open arms.

Thomas Skinner's sleeves catch on fire and as he starts to desperately fling off his jacket, Bonnie's jaw tightens. She can't force herself to feel even the slightest bit of guilt, especially when her gaze is filled with the bloody and broken body of the boy she might—maybe definitely—love.

"Brilliant," Kol says with a wicked gleam in his eye, and Caroline tries to push Bonnie back, but she is still as a statue, her green eyes shading emerald in the flames as she watches Thomas Skinner burn. In the span of a breath, Kol and Rebekah are next to Klaus and Elijah and the four of them advance on the Fell Tomb.

"Bonnie," Caroline whispers urgently, shaking her slightly and Bonnie snaps out of her trance.

"I'm fine," she says, but Caroline gives her this _how stupid do you think I am_ look and Bonnie's eyes drop to the pavement, her chest tightening. "If I tell you something, Care, would you—would you promise not to say anything? To anyone?"

Before Caroline can answer, the four Originals flash back to the hide out and Rebekah growls in frustration, "He wasn't bloody _ther__e. No one_ was there! Any other brilliant suggestions?" Elijah has Jeremy in his arms and Bonnie's knees threaten to give way as he lays Jeremy down in the backseat of his car.

The tightness in her chest all but disappears when Caroline cries distractedly, "But—but he _has_ to be there! There's no way they would let him in one of their houses and they wouldn't take him to the Lockwood cellars—" She whirls to Bonnie. "Maybe the witches' house?"

Bonnie tenses and says, "Worth a shot." She doesn't mention the empty, flat feeling in her stomach when she thinks about her supposed sisters and how she was only ever a pawn in their games; after all, she's removed herself from that particular chessboard. "I'll go look," she volunteers—because she wants the witches to have a front row seat to just how much she doesn't want or need them.

Caroline immediately says, "I'm going too," and Kol says with mocking enthusiasm, "Oh, let's all go then!" Elijah and Klaus send him identical looks of exasperation and Caroline remembers with a jolt that despite being nearly polar opposites of each other, they still share DNA.

Which reminds her.

She calls Carol Lockwood as Bonnie drives Jeremy's car to the witches' house.

…...

"Does it bother you?" Kol wants to know as they apprehensively approach the decrepit antebellum mansion. Klaus scowls at him and says roughly, "I'm in no mood for your antics, Kol, so either speak plainly or _shut up_."

Kol is unfazed, and he casts a pointed look back to Jeremy's car, where Caroline is standing, still on her phone and trying to calm down a hysterical Mrs. Lockwood. "Does it bother you that you never get the girl?"

He finds himself pinned to a decaying wall and Rebekah jumps in surprise as Bonnie hisses, "Knock it off!"

"_What_ are you two doing?" Rebekah demands quietly; her eyes settle on Kol and she says warningly, "Stop being a pest, Kol." He's not surprised in the least—Nik was always her favorite and despite Nik's ridiculous thinking that he has a monopoly on feeling like an outsider in their family, Kol has always been the one left alone. After all, Elijah and Rebekah stuck by Klaus for centuries while Kol wrecked havoc—by himself—and he was the first one (other than Finn who hardly counts, that boring dishrag) to find himself daggered in a coffin.

Klaus lets go of Kol's throat and Bonnie points out irritably, "They must not be here either if that didn't draw anyone out. We're wasting time." She storms to the door and from her small intake of breath, Kol gathers that her ridiculous little crush has woken up.

Caroline's hand is on Jeremy's arm, less comforting than trying to hold him still as she desperately tries to soothe Carol Lockwood. Her own nerves are shot and Jeremy's ranting about the Council in her free ear while Tyler's mother makes hysterical plans on how to rescue her son. When she sees Bonnie come rushing out of the door to launch herself at Jeremy, she lets go of his arm and walks away from the group.

She takes a deep breath, channels all of her heroines—Veronica Mars, Buffy Summers, and Iman, respectively—and says in her best head cheerleader voice, "Mrs. Lockwood, _breathe_. We're not going to stop until we find Tyler, I promise—" "Speak for yourself," Rebekah mutters darkly, and Caroline shoots her a glare over her shoulder without breaking stride, "Please don't worry. And…" she hesitates briefly before plowing forward, "if you could call my mom and tell her I'm okay? I—there were people at our house—thanks." She waits a few seconds after hanging up to face everyone; the look on Klaus's face makes her want to simultaneously throttle and hug him. She pushes that away and says hopelessly, "They weren't there, were they."

It's not a question, but Klaus answers anyway. "I'm afraid not, sweetheart." Somehow, hearing it voiced aloud threatens to send her into another downward spiral, but she internally stomps on the urge to break because she _refuses_ to keep being weak. God, Buffy would have staked her immediately out of pure disgust.

"We need help," Bonnie says, her arms wrapped tightly around Jeremy. "Damon has been inside the Council this whole time—he's our best shot."

Caroline nods in agreement, allows herself a deep, steadying breath, and follows Bonnie and Jeremy into his car.

…...

Something smells different in the boarding house and Stefan's nose is nearly twitching off of his face trying to decipher it. It's familiar, but he can't quite place it—

"Hey Stefan," Elena's voice purrs from behind him, and his spine snaps straight.

"Katherine," he says tonelessly without turning around and she gives a throaty laugh as she circles him, all swinging hips and sultry eyes. Her index finger trails down his chest as she cocks her head at him.

"Heard you _finally_ managed to get rid of Klaus," she says, eyeing him appreciatively and his stomach rolls. "I'm incredibly grateful, you know—enough that I decided it was high time for a visit to my favorite boys."

"Stefan—" Damon stops in his tracks and his features turn hostile. "I thought I smelled something rode hard and put away wet. Hello, Katherine."

"So bitter, even in victory," she chastises him, eyes sparkling wickedly and arching a single eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me the shine's already worn off."

"Off of you?" he deliberately misinterprets. "Hate to break it to you, Katherine, but your shine wore off a loooong time ago."

"Klaus isn't dead," Stefan informs her coolly. "So you should probably leave. Now."

"Ah, but I heard he was desiccated, and I saw what that did to Michael." She tosses him a careless smirk. "He's not going anywhere any time soon."

"It pains me—really—to tell you this," Damon drawls tartly, "but the desiccation didn't take. You can thank your descendant and her moronic little friends for that."

Whatever reaction they are expecting, an idle shrug is definitely not it. "You know, I also heard another interesting little factoid…something about a dead as a doornail Elena Gilbert…" she trails off with mock thoughtfulness, laughing lowly at their expressions. "At least I had the good sense to run after I died."

"You should put those skills to use right now," Stefan suggests and Damon adds, "I hear Canadians are _super_ welcoming. Unlike some people."

She clicks her tongue at them. "I must say, boys, I'm very hurt by all this hostility. But don't worry. You have plenty of time to make it up to me because I think I'll stick around for a while." Katherine heads for the door and gives them a saucy wink over her shoulder. "I've always loved a good show."

Not five minutes after she sashays out the Salvatore front door, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy and four Originals burst through it and Stefan can't help but be a little impressed at Katherine's perfect timing.

…...

"_Christ_," Damon gripes at them, eyes narrowing at Caroline and Bonnie. He turns to Stefan and says sourly, "I _told_ you these two couldn't keep a goldfish alive between them." Stefan shakes his head in silent disbelief, sending a disapproving look Damon's way.

Caroline's expression doesn't change, but her lips turn white and she says fiercely, "I swear to God, Damon—"

Klaus cuts her off by sauntering in front of her and saying casually, "I'm sure you haven't forgotten just how good Bekah is at inflicting pain, Damon." Caroline's teeth clench on the inside of her cheek; in a knife fight between Klaus and Damon, she's pretty sure she would root for the knife. "I volunteer," Kol offers—way too eagerly for Caroline's taste.

Damon rolls his eyes and says, "I don't know how much Ric's Hyde persona—that's a literary reference, Barbie—" "Screw you," Caroline snaps at him, glowering, and Damon smirks at her. "You had your chance. _Anyway_. For all I know, I'm out of the proverbial closet, and shockingly enough, I'm a little more concerned about myself than I am about Teen Wolf."

"Look, asshole," Bonnie says ferociously, and even Damon blinks at the vitriol in her voice. "We're not asking you to go door-to-door, just that you use your _brain_. And do you really think they aren't going to try and torture information out of Tyler—information about vampires?" Caroline gives an anxious hum and Bonnie goes for the kill shot. "A species which now includes Elena?"

"She has a point," Stefan says quietly and Damon scowls. "Fine," he says through gritted teeth, all bravado gone and Caroline pulls Bonnie aside before she decides to curse him for the hell of it. "Oh, by the way," he adds spitefully as the two girls disappear into the next room, and he's suddenly nose-to-nose with Klaus, "your favorite Petrova is slinking around town."

"Oh, believe me, Damon," Klaus says, voice dangerously quiet, taking care that no one else—_Caroline—_can hear. "Katerina is not the doppelganger I would be worried about if I were you."

"Caroline would hate you forever," Damon points out, eyes narrowing. "And I don't need to remind you just how long a time that is for a vampire."

Klaus shrugs, unconcerned. "I'm beginning to realize she'll hate me forever regardless." He smiles wolfishly at Damon. "Never underestimate someone with nothing to lose."

…...

"Hey," Caroline says softly, nudging Bonnie's shoulder with her own. "What were you going to tell me earlier?"

Tearing her gaze from where Jeremy is talking to Stefan in a low voice, Bonnie blinks because even though that conversation was only hours ago it feels like days have passed. _I enjoyed desiccating Klaus too much; I'm thinking and saying things that don't sound like me at all; I severed my link to the Bennett witches; I think something might be wrong with me._ "It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

Caroline wrinkles her forehead, not quite buying what she's selling. "You sure? You know you can tell me anything."

"Yeah," Bonnie says quietly. "I know." _Not this._ She changes the subject. "We need to fill Elena in on everything that's happened."

Caroline doesn't look quite convinced at Bonnie's one-eighty, but she humors her friend and goes along with it. "Don't forget, she needs a daylight ring too."

"Right," Bonnie whispers, more to herself than to Caroline, who is still looking at her with an odd expression on her face.

"Bonnie…" Caroline begins hesitantly. "I know it's been rough lately, but—"

"But what?" Bonnie interrupts, voice sharper than she means for it to be. "It'll get better? When have things _ever_ gotten better, Caroline?"

"Well that's a sucky attitude," Damon snarks from behind her as he starts to rummage through a shelf of books. "Realistic, so kudos for that, but still sucky."

"Shouldn't you be doing something useful?" Bonnie retorts, crossing her arms and Damon says archly, waving a book at her, "_I_ happen to be trying to figure out where Barbie's boyfriend is. What are _you_ doing?"

Before Bonnie can retaliate, Caroline grabs her and says waspishly, "We're leaving. Call us if you find anything."

"Take some blood bags for Elena," Damon says blithely, no longer looking them as he flips through pages at warp speed.

…...

Matt knocks on the side of her doorway. "You okay?"

Elena breaks off the staring contest she had resumed with the ceiling and sits up. "I think so. Just…going through some stuff."

He smiles a little. "Besides the obvious?"

She snorts and glances to her windowsill where, despite that curtains being shut tight, sunlight still manages to peek through the cracks. "Yeah. Besides that."

Matt sits next to her and she is suddenly overwhelmed with hunger; she forces herself to stare straight ahead, not daring to move a muscle.

"Want to talk about?" he asks gently and she swallows hard. _Don't think about, don't think about it—think about anything else._

"It's—um—" she struggles to speak and tries to hide the slow advance of fangs from her gums. "Matt, you should go downstairs." He looks taken aback and protests, "But—"

She covers her mouth with her hand and says with a little more intensity, "_Matt._Go downstairs."

He gives her one more concerned look before obeying and she only allows herself to start breathing again when she hears his footsteps fade into the living room. She tries desperately to remember what Stefan had said to Caroline when she was transitioning and wrestling with bloodlust—breathing, right? She inhales deeply through her nose, but all that does is hit her right in the face with the enticing smell of Matt's blood and the sound of his heartbeat from all the way downstairs, so she stops immediately.

Her fangs are actively pushing through her gums and her eyes have turned black with thick veins starting to protrude; Elena forces herself to look over into the mirror, hoping that seeing what she has become can shame her into stopping herself from becoming something worse.

_Just don't move from this spot_, she orders herself firmly, sitting on her hands for extra emphasis. If she has enough self-control to not move, then maybe she has enough to leave Matt alone.

"Hey, Elena!" he calls up the stairs and she clenches her hands where they sit under her thighs—_don't move, don't move, don't even breath_. "I'm making coffee, do you want any?"

She opens her mouth—to tell him no, to tell him to go home because she's a newborn _vampire_ for God's sake and he's the first boy who ever really loved her without asking for anything in return—but as soon as her lips part and she inhales through her mouth out of pure habit, she nearly doubles over with want.

In the blink of an eye, she's downstairs at his elbow and she thinks she tries to order him out.

Later, she'll try to convince herself that she tried.

…...

There's a loud crash from inside the Gilbert house and Caroline nearly jumps out of her seat in Jeremy's car, looking frantically over at Bonnie and Jeremy. They're oblivious.

"I feel fine, Bonnie, swear," Jeremy is saying, trying to snatch his keys out of her hand as she parks and Bonnie says firmly, "No more trying to play hero—"

"Guys," Caroline says urgently. "Something's going on inside."

Jeremy's face turns chalk white and he lunges out of the car, breaking into a sprint; but Caroline still beats him to the door, flinging it open in a panic.

Elena's fangs are buried in Matt's neck.

Caroline doesn't think—she _moves_. She slams into Elena and has her best friend shoved up against her kitchen wall in the span of heartbeat. She takes Elena's face in both hands, saying, "Elena, Elena, stop, it's me," as Elena struggles against her; she forces their eyes to meet and as Elena comes back to herself, an agonizing look of horror and self-loathing comes over her.

"Oh my _God_," she moans, her forehead dropping to Caroline's shoulder. Caroline lets her hands fall to Elena's wrists, but she doesn't relax their grip.

"Caroline," Bonnie says urgently from next to a still Matt, "you have to help him." Elena lets out a whimper that rips at Caroline's heart, and she lets go of her friend. "Stay there," she orders, voice harsh from fear and adrenaline, biting into her wrist before she's even at Matt's side.

Elena slumps weakly down to the floor, both hands over her mouth and tears flooding down her face. "Oh my God," she whispers again to herself, pulling her knees into her chest and when Caroline comes back, Elena catches a glimpse of Bonnie's face before Caroline blocks her out completely.

"Bonnie," she says hoarsely, "Bonnie, please—"

Bonnie's tone is sharp and if Elena's heart cracks when she says to Jeremy, "You should stay with me for a few days," Jeremy's non-response shatters it. Caroline turns her head slightly and jerks it towards the door and as Elena hears them start to leave, she begs, voice rasping, "Please—_please_ don't tell Stefan."

Jeremy hesitates at the entryway and then seems to make up his mind about something; Elena squeezes her eyes shut tightly and tenses, waiting to hear the door slam shut. Instead she feels arms that are too big to be Caroline's wrap around her and Jeremy says quietly, "I love you," before he and Bonnie vanish outside, one of Matt's arms around each of their shoulders. "I'm sorry," Elena whispers, but the door is already closed.

Caroline lets her back slide down the wall until she's sitting cross-legged next to Elena, whose shoulders are still quaking from her tears; she slips her arm around them to help Elena stop shaking and her upper body drops limply into Caroline's lap as she lies on down on her side, rubbing at her face.

"It happens," Caroline says soothingly, her fingers brushing away the hair at Elena's temples; strands of it are clumped together from wetness. "You're brand new, Elena. If anything, we—Damon, Stefan, and me, I mean—should have been more careful." Her fingers never stop their calming strokes and she continues gently, "It's horrible, the first few weeks, but it gets better. I'll help you, okay? It does get easier, I promsie."

"You're so good at it," Elena chokes out and Caroline feels dampness on the knee of her jeans where Elena's face rests. "How did you get to be like this?"

Caroline pauses, considering her words carefully. "Well for one thing, I was already a crazy control-freak, so it helped when everything amplified up to eleven. Stefan helped a lot too." She falls silent, letting her head drop back tiredly against the wall, her fingertips still gliding through Elena's hair comfortingly.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone," Elena says softly, her voice thick and catching over her words. "Especially not Matt." She turns on her back, brown eyes rimmed with red. "Do you think he'll hate me?"

"No," Caroline answers immediately. "Matt could never hate you. He…might avoid you for a few days, but he won't _hate_ you."

Elena presses a hand to her forehead and she struggles to keep her face from bunching up in pain. "Do you think _Bonnie_ will hate me?"

Instead of answering, Caroline says slowly, "Do you remember that night at the carnival?" Elena nods without opening her eyes and Caroline continues, "Then you remember how I lost it and Bonnie was mad for a while. This…this stuff is hard on all of us, Elena, but it's a different kind of hard for Bonnie. She _hates_ this, but she has to reconcile the people she loves with the things she hates. It's very tricky." Caroline looks down and sees that Elena's face has relaxed, though her eyes are still shut. "Bonnie deals the best way she can. Just…give her some time, okay?"

Neither of them says anything else and the only sound that echoes through the house is that of several clocks ticking.

But it doesn't last long.

"Well," Katherine drawls, standing over them with an amused expression on her face and both girls scramble to their feet. "Isn't this just the sweetest little scene?"

..…..

**tbc.**

* * *

******A/N:** Reviews are wonderful and lovely. If you decide to story alert or favorite, please consider reviewing as well! ~xo


	6. Chapter 6

**I disclaim. **Title is from Explosions in the Sky (quite possibly their best album _ever_). So go check it out.

**A/N:** Sorry for the time delay between chapters . . . I moved back home from the UK and started my summer job _and_ have been researching/writing my dissertation. Absence makes the heart grow fonder? (On A Personal Note—I've been _hardcore_ missing England, which is partly why I stared at the first 2 pages of this chapter for so long. _Sob._)

My sincere thanks to everyone who reviewed. Seriously, whenever I get so bogged down in a chapter I re-read reviews to remember that I'm not just talking to myself. So please, keep reviewing, and _if you haven't _yet—do it. Make like Nike, for real.

Also, enjoy. ~xo

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

**6. **

"What happened?" Matt asks groggily, trying to sit up from his prone position on Bonnie's couch. She and Jeremy exchange looks before Jeremy answers carefully, "There was an accident."

The scoff that slips out from the back of Bonnie's throat makes Jeremy glare at her, and even though it was an accident (kind of), Bonnie doesn't apologize.

Matt pushes himself up and rubs the back of his neck. "What kind of accident?"

"Elena bit you," Bonnie says harshly, and she receives a second glare from Jeremy for her trouble. "She lost control."

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Jeremy says as Matt's shocked face pales, his voice slightly louder than necessary and harsh to his own ears. Bonnie tenses, preparing herself for a fight, and leads him into her kitchen.

"Could you lay off Elena for just a second?" Jeremy says tightly as Bonnie turns to face him, arms crossed defiantly over her chest.

"Why?" she demands. "What, did you not see what just happened? What if we had gotten there five minutes later? Matt would have _died._ Your best friend would be dead, Jeremy."

"Yeah, I know," he says, eyes searching hers imploringly. "But Elena _is_ dead, Bon. And all I'm saying is, some empathy wouldn't be too much to ask for right now. Cut her some slack."

Bonnie's face darkens and her eyes narrow. _Why_, she desperately wants to ask. _Why should we cut any of them slack? All they do is hurt people._ But she doesn't say any of it out loud because Elena and Caroline are her best friends—_but are they still Elena and Caroline_, a voice in the back of her mind taunts her. _Could the best friends you grew up with kill people so easily?_

Completely lost in her self-debating, Bonnie doesn't feel Jeremy's hands come to rest on her shoulders until he shakes her slightly. "Bon? Did you hear me?"

Slowly, she shakes her head, the fuzzy edges of anger receding. "What?"

"I said, Elena just needs time and understanding. Especially from you." He pauses and the way he looks at her chases out all the dark thoughts that have rooted themselves in her heart. "And she especially needs you, more than anyone else right now."

"Yeah?" Bonnie whispers, feeling hot wetness spring behind her eyes, and _God_, she's tired. When was the last time she slept? She aches down to her very bones. "How do you figure that?"

He smiles at her, that halting, patented Jeremy Gilbert smile and she can't help but smile a little back. "You're our moral compass," he says, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world, and guilt floods through her because seriously, she _killed_ him not two days ago.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she says softly, eyes flickering to the side, and his hands curl around her upper arms.

"Hey," he says gently, forehead coming to rest against hers, "We'll get through this. We're the consummate survivors, us three."

_But we were four_, she protests silently. _And before that we were five, and before _that_ we were six . . ._ The tears threaten with even more potency and she bites down on the inside of her cheek so hard she tastes copper.

… … … …

"God, you're bloody useless," Kol observes lazily as he watches Damon flip through book after decaying book. "And a fantastically worthless spy, no less. Did you even—"

"For God's sake, Kol," Rebekah groans, her head dropping back to rest against the wall with a loud _thud_. "No wonder Nik had you daggered for a century—you _never_ shut up."

Damon interrupts before Kol can retort. "As charming as this bickering is _not_, don't you both have mommy issues to go solve?"

"You always do just find the trash with the most rot, don't you, Bekah?" Kol says to her and her nails are in his throat when Klaus snarls from the doorway to the next room over, "_Enough_!"

"Find anything?" Stefan asks lowly from his spot next to Damon on the couch and Damon rolls his eyes.

"If by anything you mean 'jack shit' then I've found _tons_," he says dryly, tossing another book on the table. Stefan leans forward to pick it up and flip through it, frowning.

"Damon," he says exasperatedly, "You didn't think a list of properties in the Council's name would be helpful?"

"Uh, did you look at that list?" Damon demands, eyeballing the newest ledger sitting in his lap with disdain. "Pretty sure there is no Mystic Falls Equestrian and Archery Club. Have you _seen_ the Council? Not a William Wallace in the bunch. They're all a bunch of fronts."

Stefan stares down thoughtfully at the list. "Every address is listed as Mystic Falls, but . . . have you ever heard of any of these street names?"

"I told you," Damon says impatiently, flipping irritably through the thin pages of the book resting on his legs. "They're _not real_. Keep up, brother."

The name of the third street listed is far too familiar for Stefan's taste; he frowns at it, positive he has seen it somewhere before.

"You're brooding at my Council records," Damon says in a singsong voice and Stefan straightens.

"It's in Chicago," he announces triumphantly, thrusting the pages at Damon. "That address is real—it's just not in Mystic Falls."

Damon looks down at the address. "What makes you think that's where they're keeping our big bad wolf?" He squints at it. "Doesn't look like Grandma's House to me."

Stefan shrugs. "I _don't_ know, not for sure. It could be any one of those places—don't assume because they're all fake organizations that they're all in fake places. Wouldn't Sheriff Forbes know?"

Damon stands, the ledger dangling in his hand. "We'll find out soon enough, brother."

"Look at you clever buggers," Kol drawls idly, watching them with hooded eyes. "So when do we leave?"

… … … …

"Get out," Elena orders, but her voice shakes and carries hardly any weight. Katherine smirks at her and arches a single eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know, I don't think I want to," she says easily, tilting her head at Elena, curls spilling over one shoulder in a move that is far too graceful to be anything other than practiced. "I wonder, why did you only want dear _Stefan_to remain oblivious to your little slip-up? Have we finally chosen a brother, Elena?" She inspects a nail idly. "I'm afraid you chose wrong, darling."

"Why? Because Stefan's _yours_?" Elena shoots back, hands clenching and her jaw setting. "You might want to check with him on that."

"Oh I already did," Katherine answers amusedly. "Strange how he didn't mention that…but not unexpected, I suppose. After all," she tosses a faux-sympathetic glance Elena's way. "Once you fall in love, can you ever really shake it?"

Elena inhales a sharp breath and her eyes are glassy with unshed tears as Caroline throws her weight into the fight. "Does _Klaus_ know you're back in town?" she snaps, crossing her arms and shifting so her feet are slightly apart. "Or have you finally realized that what you call self-preservation is actually being a spineless wimp?"

Katherine doesn't even blink. "Oh sweetie," she coos, walking languidly around the island in the Gilbert kitchen, "it's so cute how you think your little kitten claws can do any kind of damage." She considers Caroline thoughtfully. "Maybe you weren't such a bad investment after all."

Caroline bristles but before she can say anything, Katherine continues, fingers running down the kitchen counter behind her, "By the way, Elena, I'd watch out for Klaus if I were you. Seeing as how you're all…" she wrinkles her nose, "dead. No offense, but it doesn't seem to be suiting you all that well."

Blinding rage—she has no idea where it's coming from—propels Elena forward and before she knows what has happened, Katherine is against the wall with Elena's forearm pressed against her throat. "It's Rebekah's fault," she grinds out, her back teeth scraping together. "If he wants to blame someone, he'll have to blame _her_."

"Baby," Katherine says with a slightly strangled laugh, "You realize I'm humoring you?" In the blink of an eye, their positions are reversed and when Caroline starts to try and come to Elena's aid, Katherine says, "If you really think Klaus will hold his little twit of a sister responsible—well, then you're a fool, Elena." She cocks her head. "But then again, we all knew that already, didn't we." A slow, mocking smile crosses her face. "You know what, I think I will tell sweet Stefan about your little…_slip_." She taps Elena's cheek with one dark-painted nail before she lets go of the other girl's throat. "That halo needs some rust, wouldn't you say?"

In the time it takes Elena to cough, Katherine is gone and Caroline rushes to Elena's side. "You okay?" she asks urgently, and at the look Elena gives her, she winces. "Right. Obviously not. What can I do?"

Tears prick at the back of Elena's eyes. "He won't ever look at me the same," she chokes out, hands clenching. "Caroline, I can't—Stefan—"

"Elena," Caroline interrupts firmly, "Stefan _loves_ you. Dead, alive, whatever—that isn't going to change. And besides, it's not like he has any room to judge."

But still Elena shakes her head, clearly not believing any of Caroline's promises on Stefan's behalf. "I—I need to talk to Stefan," she says unsteadily, eyes darting around the room in search of a phone. "I need to tell him before she does—he has to hear it from me—"

"Okay, no," Caroline says, snatching the Gilbert cordless phone behind her back. "What you need is to sit down—" she propels Elena gently towards the couch in the living room, "and get your strength up." She pulls a forgotten blood bag from its resting spot in her bag. "Things aren't as different for vampires," she says soothingly, handing Elena the blood bag. "Even as a human, when you're hungry, tired, stressed—your nerves are more likely to break, okay? So multiply that times like, a million, and that's why you need to just . . ." she does what she hopes looks like a zen pose. "Relax. And remember that you . . . you haven't killed anyone, Elena." Caroline looks down at the ground, face flushing slightly. "You're doing really well, despite what you think."

Elena wipes at her face with her sleeves. "Please don't leave me," she whispers and Caroline blinks in surprise, momentarily thrown.

"W-what?" she breathes, sinking down onto the cushion next to Elena. "Elena, I would _never_." Elena's tear-stained face looks up at hers and Caroline's heart breaks for her. She says firmly, "People mess up, but we don't stop loving them when they do," and pushes a piece of Elena's hair behind her ear, bumping her shoulder fondly. "I'm kind of insulted you think I'm that big of a hypocrite."

Elena gives a wet laugh, her smile trembling as she fights back more tears, and Caroline pulls her in close. "It's going to be okay," she promises quietly, and it will be, if she has anything to say about it.

… … … …

"You cannot be serious," Elijah says but it's mostly rhetorical as he stares at his brother—his terrible, wonderful, far too powerful brother—in utter disbelief. "You have no quarrel with Elena. What happened was . . . a strange turn of fate, nothing more. It was hardly some malicious _plan_, brother."

Klaus shrugs, the picture of careless nonchalance. "Nevertheless. This is the way things are, Elijah."

Hands deep in his pockets, Elijah tenses. "Simply because you declare it doesn't mean it is so, Niklaus. Contrary to what you believe, you are not king of the world."

The look on his brother's face becomes one of intrigued annoyance. "Is that so, Elijah?" he says silkily and despite the flash of wariness warning him to tread carefully, Elijah gives him a curt nod. "You cannot do this," he says firmly and Klaus considers him.

"How very interesting," his brother murmurs thoughtfully, eyes narrowed. "Was your love for Tatia so superficial that you can transfer it to her doppelgangers so easily?"

Fury—so white hot it burns like ice—streaks through Elijah's veins. "Is your love for Caroline worth so little to you that you would murder her best friend without a second thought, Niklaus?" he challenges, but the flair of triumph he feels at the flash in his brother's eyes is fleeting. They are nose to nose, glaring at each other.

Elijah falls to reason first. "The witch would not hesitate to kill you—permanently," he points out logically. "Desiccation would no longer be a viable option."

Klaus takes a step back. "You do have a good point," he muses and the relief that warms Elijah's blood is short-lived. "But I can promise you this, brother—if any part of this fails—and I do mean _any_—it is your precious _doppelganger_ who will pay the price."

"Nik," Rebekah says from the door, blue eyes sweeping over the pair curiously. "Time to go."

… … … …

"Chicago?" Elena repeats faintly, knees curling into her chest. "Are you sure? When will you be back?"

Stefan palms her knee tenderly. "Damon talked to the Sheriff, and she said that property is the one furthest away from here." He shrugs. "We're going on a hunch that they would take Tyler as far away as they could. And it'll only be a few days—a week at the most. Hey," he says, catching her chin gently in his hand. "It'll be okay."

It comforts her less than she would like. "Do you have to go?" she asks, risking a quick, furtive glance over at Damon. "Caroline—"

"If you want me to stay, I will," Caroline promises quietly and Damon smirks at her. "Who would've guessed you'd be all 'chicks before dicks,' Barbie? Kudos on maturing a half-inch."

"And you are definitely the world's foremost expert on the _half-inch_," she retorts, eyes flickering to below the waist of jeans pointedly and if she's not mistaken, the look Damon sends her way is almost _proud_.

"You should go," Elena tells her, the back of her hand resting at the corner of her mouth. "I know you want to be there when they save Tyler." She can't stop her eyes from finding Damon's across the room and when concern replaces the sarcastic humor on his face, she looks away.

"Maybe one of us should stay behind," Damon suggests casually, and Elena can feel his gaze on her; it makes her itch. "You know, in case something happens back here."

Stefan looks at him incredulously. "Something like what, Damon? All the Originals are going with us."

"I don't know, _Stefan_," Damon grouses out. "It wouldn't be an emergency if I could predict it, now would it?"

Caroline is looking at her, Elena realizes, with more than just a little bit of suspicion, and Stefan's face is reflecting it. "Then I'll stay," he says with an air of finality, turning towards Elena, green eyes soft. "Help you through the first few days."

Damon snorts. "Because you're _so_ good at controlling rampaging bloodlust. Nah, you should go. Besides," he meets Stefan's gaze easily, "you're the one that lived in Chicago for, like, _ever_."

Elena meets Caroline's eyes and, reading the question there, nods slightly. "Damon's right," Caroline announces, and both Salvatores look surprised at her input. "It would be hard to do this without you, Stefan—plus you can help keep a lid on Klaus."

Damon's grin in Caroline's direction is nearly feral. "Pretty sure Klaus would prefer you to be in charge of that, _Care_."

"I'll be sure to tell Kol you'll miss him," she volleys back and Elena tries as best she can to convey a 'thank you' with just her eyes. She's pretty sure Caroline catches it.

… … … …

They're halfway to Illinois when Stefan confronts her.

"Why would you take Damon's side, Caroline? You know he'll just get her hooked on human blood!"

"Not fair," she grumbles, tugging her earphones out of her ears with a flounce. "Stefan, you're like . . . the guy who became an alcoholic after partying in college. You can't drink or else you'll fall right off the wagon." She makes a tumbling motion with her hand. "And you can't see how it doesn't tempt everyone else."

"It's hardly that simple," he argues and she shakes her head. "Sure it is," she insists. "No one, least of all _me_, is advocating for Elena to drain the first person she sees. Just…look, any girl that's been on a diet will tell you it's all about portion control. If you deny forever, you're bound to binge on chocolate cake."

He turns his head from the road to glance at her, a slightly amused expression on his face. "You realize you used about three different metaphors just now?"

"Yep," she says brightly, flipping on the radio of his way old car. "I'm a good English student, what can I say?"

… … … …

"Any luck figuring out that stake?" Jeremy asks after they force-feed Matt a cheeseburger. Bonnie frowns and rubs her temples exasperatedly.

"Esther was the Original Witch," she reminds him dejectedly. "If anyone could figure out a way to make something literally indestructible—no fail safe—it would be her."

"But Ric had a fail safe," Jeremy points out sensibly. "Elena, right? So it only makes sense that this would have one too."

"You would think," Bonnie mutters, glaring at the half-metal, half-wooden monstrosity sitting on her kitchen table. "I just can't find it."

Jeremy takes her hands in one of his and the other comes up to smooth away the wrinkles on her forehead. "Okay, let's brainstorm. Ric only had as long as Elena was alive to kill the Originals. What made this stake immortal?"

At the word _immortal_, Bonnie straightens. "Jeremy—the other Gilbert ring! She—she had to have bound the stake to your family's other ring!" She focuses on him. "When I—when _Esther_ made me go down to the tomb and—Jeremy, he wasn't wearing it! That has to be it!"

Jeremy smiles a little at her excitement at the breakthrough. "So how do we unlink them?"

Bonnie stares at the stake, lost in thought. "Maybe it's a spin-off of the spell that connected Katherine and Elena at the masquerade," she says slowly. "Not exactly like it, since it linked two _objects_ instead of two people . . ." She frowns. "I—hand me the phone, Jeremy."

He obliges and she dials a North Carolina number with shaking fingers. When a woman answers, she says hesitantly, "Hey—Lucy? Lucy Bennett? This is Bonnie . . . yeah. Listen, I kind of need your help."

… … … …

Caroline tilts her head back almost as far as neck will let her without bending her back as well as she stares up in awe at the Sears Tower. "It's so _tall_."

"And nowhere near where we need to be," Stefan says impatiently, taking her arm and pulling her down the street. She can barely tear her wide eyes away from the skyscrapers as he leads her down streets and alleyways, only stopping when they find the Originals.

"Keep that up, Caroline, and you're bound to drown when it rains," Rebekah snips archly from in front of Stefan. "Took you lot long enough." Her eyes rake over them before they narrow. "Where's Damon?"

"Stayed home," Stefan says shortly, shouldering past her and dragging Caroline behind him, still gaping up at the skyline. "Are you clear on the plan here?"

Kol bares his teeth in a terrifying mockery of a smile. "Oh, as _crystal_."

The Council's property is located in one of the smaller high-rises and as Caroline prepares herself for what lies ahead—reminding herself that these people have kidnapped _Tyler_ and were more than prepared to do the same to her—Elijah snags her wrist and pulls her back.

"Miss Forbes," he says, and there's an air of urgency to his voice she's never heard before. He looks almost _panicked_ and that in turn causes her heart to start racing. "Caroline, there's something you should know."

… … … …

"There was—_is_—a blood link between Elena and Katherine," Bonnie relates to Jeremy, her finger tracing the edge of the stake absently. "The spell usually requires the blood of both people who are linked, but Elena is Katherine's doppelganger—literally an exact copy, right down to the blood."

"So it's a blood spell. That doesn't exactly help us," Jeremy points out, brow furrowing. "Esther didn't exactly use my blood or Elena's to bind the ring to that stake."

"No," Bonnie says slowly, her finger tapping her chin. "But magic made that ring—made it for your family."

"So? It works for anyone who wears it. Alaric wasn't a Gilbert."

"I'm not sure it matters," she says softly, a faraway look coming into her eyes, and she isn't sure if it's just her imagination or if the air really is starting to hum. "I think—anything that is made immortal can be unmade. In magic, blood is life—it binds everything together."

"You're talking in riddles, Bon," Jeremy says, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. "I don't think you even know what you're saying."

She blinks herself out of her trance. "Yeah," she says quietly, "I'm not too sure either."

Jeremy leans forward and says, "Why do you think the Council had someone guarding the Fell tomb if Tyler wasn't there? What was the point of that?"

Bonnie shrugs, eyes focused on the stake. "Who knows why crazy people do what they do?" _Crazy for trying to protect their town? Isn't that your job, witch_, the voice her in head taunts; she pushes it away. God, she needs to sleep. "Maybe they knew it was the first place we would look."

Jeremy shakes his head. "Something else is going on," he says firmly. "They're hiding—or protecting something in there." He clasps his hands together on the Bennett kitchen table and says with some trepidation, as though he knows whatever he's about to say will not go over well, "I'm still going to try and get inside information on the Council, Bon."

Her spine snaps straight and her eyes sharpen. "No. No way, Jeremy, that's way too dangerous. Especially if they find out about Elena!"

"Who's gonna tell?" he demands, running one hand wearily over his scalp. "We definitely won't, and I don't think Meredith will be sticking around Mystic Falls too much longer. They suspended her medical license."

"They have _ways_, Jeremy," Bonnie insists, eyes wide and desperate on his. "Please, please think about this!"

"I have," he says firmly. "I have to protect the people I love—Elena, Matt, Tyler—" he hesitates before taking one of her hands in his and running his thumb along the back of her knuckles. "You." She can't breath.

"Look," he says quietly, not releasing her hand, "I'm doing this. It's not exactly up for discussion."

Bonnie is quiet, recognizing the same bullheadedness that Elena always gets—_got?_—whenever she had already made up her mind. "Just be careful, okay?" she whispers, and before she can talk herself out of—before the voice in her mind can whisper the names of ghostly ex-girlfriends, she leans over and kisses him.

… … … …

Tyler has no idea where he is.

He remembers sending Caroline into Bonnie's house, remembers the burn of vervain seeping into his arms and Caroline's voice saying his name—but it all blurs together and he can't remember—did he tell Caroline he loved her? God he hopes so because he's so tired and his arms feel like they're about to fall off and he's slowly losing all hope of ever seeing her again.

He does wonder if maybe he had kept the sire-bond—maybe Klaus would know where he was; but then he remembers the way that asshole had looked at Caroline at the Decade Dance and he knows his sire would let him rot. But he doesn't think that even it if the sire-bond would help he would regret breaking it—_what if he asked you to rip your own heart out?_

The other people don't speak to him. He doesn't recognize any of the other people—vampires? Hybrids? He has no idea anymore; hasn't seen the sun in days—and he can feel himself desiccating from the lack of blood.

Hours—days—months?—later he wonders why they haven't killed him yet.

He must be going insane because he thinks he hears Stefan.

… … … …

In her haze of red, Caroline grabs Klaus's arm without a second thought and says through clenched teeth, "Did you really think we wouldn't find out about your stupid little vendetta against Elena?"

Klaus pauses, eyes flickering down to where her nails are digging into his arm. She doesn't miss the look. "Do you have a point, sweetheart?"

"Okay, _enough_ with the endearments," she snaps, letting go of him and crossing her arms. "Don't call me that, especially not when you're planning on killing my best friend."

"Fine," he says impatiently, glancing over to where the others are discussing battle plans. "Again, _Caroline_, what exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying," she grinds out, "that you are freaking _bipolar_. One minute, you're helping save Tyler, the next you're plotting on how best to murder Elena! You're giving me whiplash?" She narrows her eyes and takes a step closer, far too incensed to consider all the implications of the words tumble, uninhibited, from her mouth. "I get that you made all your stupid hybrids because you're so tragically misunderstood and lonely and not even your family wants you, but it is not Elena's fault your _sister_ forced Matt off of Wickery Bridge."

As her mind replays her tirade, she kind of expects him to rip her heart out because she totally just tore him a new one (and who knows how far the limits of this creepy infatuation reach?) and she forces herself not take a half-step back. But he completely surprises her.

"And how do you propose we solve this problem?" he muses with mocking thoughtfulness and now she does take that half-step back. "A distraction, hmm?" His eyes glitter. "Where do you suppose I could find one of those?"

She refuses to let him know that he's landed a direct hit and forces back the tears that threaten behind her eyelids. "I hear Thailand's overflowing with them," she snaps with bravado she doesn't feel and he laughs outright.

"Shall we make a side-deal of our own, Caroline?" he says, reaching over to run his thumb down her cheek and despite just how much she hates him in this moment, the way he says her name (the way he touches her) gives her goosebumps—_the bad kind_, she insists to herself. _The scary movie kind._

"I'm not making any more deals with you," she hisses, jerking away from him. "_God._"

He shrugs, looking completely unfettered by her venomous refusal. "Very well," he says nonchalantly. "Katerina should be thrilled to be rid of her competition then."

Caroline freezes and as he starts to walk away from her, she reaches for him again. "Wait," she says softly, a note of defeat in her voice and the triumphant arch of his eyebrow makes her want to stamp on his foot. "What kind of deal?"

He smiles at her.

… … … …

The wooden bullets are what worry Stefan the most. He makes Caroline wait outside in the hall for fear of them, despite her furious protests and Kol practically beams with anticipation.

"Stefan," Rebekah says quietly from his elbow. "I—I wanted to tell you that—" She breaks off, frustrated, and Stefan says, eyes focused on the door in front of them, "Tell me afterwards." He sees her hesitate before nodding out of the corner of his eye and then Kol kicks the door in.

He spots Tyler immediately and the half-healed vervain burns all over his exposed skin makes Stefan's fangs slide down from his gums as he darts over to him.

"Stefan?" Tyler says weakly, looking up at him as though he's merely a figment of his imagination.

"Hey, Tyler," he says gently, ignoring the hissing of the ropes as they smolder against the palms of his hands. "Don't worry, okay? We're gonna get you home, buddy."

Tyler tries to shake his head but it becomes a sort of boneless lolling. "Whattabout them?" he says, words slurring as he tries to motion to the terrified people huddling against the walls.

Rebekah flashes to his side and snaps, "I'll take care of it, now bloody _move!_"

Stefan moves, dodging arrows and small, sharp wooden stakes as they fly through the air.

He passes Tyler off to Caroline, who gives a small cry of horror when she sees him, hands flying over his face. "Oh my _God_," she moans, pressing her forehead to his as he struggles to stand upright. Stefan risks a glance at Klaus and is thrown when the hybrid's expression is—_smug?_ But before he can analyze it further, Rebekah is nearly throwing people—vampires, he realizes—out into the hallway at them and Stefan ushers them down the stairwell.

The smell of blood—Council members, he assumes—reaches his nostrils and he pauses, twisting around before he can stop himself. "Stefan," Caroline whispers, arms firmly locked around Tyler and eyes looking up at him pleadingly. "Let's go." Slowly—very slowly—he nods and concentrates on the back of her head as they slip out of the building.

… … … …

He robs a blood bank—a tiny mobile blood donation center, really—and the vampires that were trapped with Tyler slowly disappear as their strength comes back; though not before Rebekah and Kol force their stories out of them.

"I'm afraid your Council is just the tip of the iceberg," Elijah says lowly to Stefan and Stefan turns sharply towards him.

"What are you talking about?"

"He means," Kol interrupts, eyeing one of the prettier vampires who has yet to run off with appreciation, "your Council is one of _many_ councils and they aren't even close to the top of the pyramid."

"What?" Caroline demands from where she's sitting with Tyler half horizontal in her lap. "Are you saying there's like an entire vampire-hunting Illuminati or something?"

Kol blinks at her blankly and Elijah says grimly, "That's exactly what he's saying."

… … … …

"Explain yourself," Damon says, poking at Elena's shin with his foot and she scowls at him as she sips on a blood bag.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she says primly and he rolls his eyes.

"_Someone has to stay behind_," he mocks in falsetto; she frowns. "Is that supposed to sound like me?"

"Quit stalling," he says with a slight smirk. "You're bad at it. Why did you want Prince Stefan gone?" At her silence, his face changes—softens. "Or did you want me to stay?"

Her cheeks turn pink and she says hurriedly, "I bit _Matt_."

The softness vanishes. "You did what?"

"He was here, and he wouldn't leave and I just—" she takes a deep, steadying breath and presses her hand to her forehead. "Please don't tell Stefan."

Damon snorts and she flinches at the hint of bitterness in it. "Right. Don't tell Saint Stefan the _Ripper_, but you have no problem telling—"

She cuts him off by kissing him.

… … … …

**tbc.**

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**A/N:** Sorry for any mistakes—it's really late and I just really wanted to put this out because it's been a few weeks since I last updated! Anyway, please please please (I'm begging!) _review_. Hearts for you all! **  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** TVD belongs to someone, but I am not that someone. Title is from Explosions in the Sky, one of the greatest bands of our time. No lie.

**A/N: **In which everyone ignores everyone else's phone calls.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted, or favorite-d. Sorry for the delay—the combination of writer's block, working, the 4th of July (specifically the food and the fireworks) and school stuff just sort of created this vacuum and it took me awhile to get my thoughts in order.

Also, if you happen to find yourself bored this summer, you should totally check out _Teen Wolf_ on MTV because it's awesome. (Don't look at me like that.) Just trust me on this one. I totally vouch for it (just give it like 3 episodes to get warmed up).

Happy reading, and review! (It's so much easier now! Just type in the little box!)

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

**7.**

Oh God, she's a whore.

It hardly matters in the grand morality of things that she's doing this to save her best friend from permanent, irreversible death—because what was that saying about the road to hell? _It's paved with good intentions_—and she's definitely headed there, with Klaus's hand securely around her wrist, dragging her behind him. Doesn't misery just love company?

Thinking about it all makes Caroline want to curl into a tiny ball under her covers and never look anyone straight in the eyes ever again. Poor little Vampire Barbie gets used by everyone—she's been Damon's personal all-you-can-eat buffet and warm body, Matt's rebound, Stefan's replacement best friend—and maybe she's just wallowing (or maybe she really means it) but there's this horrible twisting in her stomach that makes her want to cry.

She can't tell Tyler—can't tell anyone, really, because even though Damon might nod approvingly, he'd be the only one; and she refuses to risk anyone else's life (because, seriously, who knows what Tyler or Stefan—or hell, even Elena and Bonnie—would do). Her own, though, is fair game. She was serious when she told Elena everything would be okay and even though she had promised not to leave her friend, Caroline's pretty sure that keeping said friend alive trumps everything else.

_Paris, Rome, Tokyo._

Caroline only traded him three cities for Elena—three cities, but no time limit and she wouldn't put it past him to stretch each one out for a lifetime or five.

Tyler shifts in her arms and she whispers against his temple, "I love you." He barely stirs and her fingers trace down the healing burns left by the vervain. _Please don't hate me for this._

— She had counted off her conditions on her fingers, eyes narrowed at Klaus. "I refuse to pretend to enjoy anything."

"You'll enjoy it."

She had brushed past that. Years of Mean Girl-ing had honed her passive-aggressive skills to perfection and she fully intended on channeling Regina George for as long as necessary. "No sex. That's non-negotiable."

"As lovely as you are, sweetheart, your body is hardly the most interesting thing about you."

She had gritted her teeth, because screw him for bringing up—lucky guess, she's sure of it—all her insecurities. _I'm worse than shallow. I'm a kiddie pool. _

"And you leave Elena alone. As long as she decides to stick around, you leave her alone."

The smile he had given her wasn't so much a grin as it was a baring of teeth. "I think we have deal, love." —

… … … …

"What do you mean, there are more Councils?" Jeremy says bemusedly into his cell phone and Bonnie straightens, eyes darting over to where he's sitting. Matt pauses in the middle of taking a long sip of blue Gatorade and his eyes meet Jeremy's. "Yeah—look, Stefan, just tell us when you get home, okay? Yeah. I _know_, Stefan. Okay." He hangs up and slouches down in the recliner. Bonnie wastes no time.

"There's no way there are more Councils in Mystic Falls," she says flatly and Jeremy shakes his head.

"He wasn't talking about in Mystic Falls," he says, rubbing at his eyes. "It wasn't even Mystic Falls Council members that had Tyler, and they didn't just have Tyler, Bon. They had a bunch of people Stefan had never seen before."

"They had a bunch of vampires," she corrects quietly and although Jeremy sends her a small frown at the distinction, he doesn't argue the point.

"What does that even mean?" Matt asks bemusedly, spinning the bright orange Gatorade top around on his index finger. "Multiple councils—like a giant conspiracy or something?"

"It makes sense," Jeremy muses slowly, eyes losing focus. "Vampires aren't exactly exclusive to Mystic Falls or anything. Other places—other towns—must have adapted, must've figured out ways to protect themselves."

"So this extended Council had Tyler," Matt says thoughtfully and he and Jeremy share a glance. "And since Mystic Falls has always had more than its fair share of vampires…"

"This is not good," Jeremy finishes darkly. "Really not good."

Bonnie blinks at him. "It might not be bad, either, Jeremy," she points out crossly. "We need help getting the Originals out of our town, and if anyone could do that, some giant vampire hunting Skull and Bones could."

"Bonnie," Jeremy says and she can hear him fighting for patience. "The only flaw in that plan is that these people don't distinguish between vampires like Klaus and vampires like Stefan and Caroline. They come here and our friends are dead." He pauses. "Who knows what they were planning on doing with Tyler?"

_Probably something deserved_. Bonnie bites her lip as the thought comes completely out of nowhere, and inwardly scolds herself. Matt and Jeremy don't notice.

"I'm gonna call Elena," Jeremy says and out of the corner of her eye, Bonnie sees Matt's jaw clench slightly at Elena's name. She doesn't realize that her hands have balled into loose fists.

… … … …

"Ignore it," Damon says and for a split second, Elena considers letting her phone ring itself into voicemail like she had the last phone call. Damon's mouth on her collarbone and his hands skimming her stomach underneath her shirt make a convincing argument but the events of the past two—three? She's lost count—days replay in her mind like a bad horror flick and she twists her upper body towards where her phone rests on the coffee table. Damon groans in protest and buries his head in the spot where her neck and shoulder meet.

"Damon," she says warningly and he ignores her even as she brings the phone to her ear, his lips skating over the particularly sensitive skin right behind her earlobe. "Did you find him?" she asks, praying the wobble in her voice goes unnoticed and Stefan says tiredly, "Yeah, we found him. Listen, Elena, don't go anywhere until we get back."

She sits up straight and the action makes Damon glare at her as he falls backwards on the other side of the couch. "What happened, Stefan?"

"I'll explain when we get back," he says and her hand reflexively clenches the sofa cushion. "Just be careful, okay? I love you."

Elena hesitates and Damon's eyes narrow at her. "I love you too," she says quietly and he snorts as she hangs up. She looks away and says as she buries her face in her hands, "Please don't look at me like that."

"You won't even look at me to know _how_ I'm looking at you," he says and she glances up, gathering her nerve.

"I love him, Damon," she reminds him, eyes flickering to the carpet. "I told you—I never stopped loving him. But," she twirls a long piece of brown hair around her finger, searching for the right words, "I think—I think maybe…I started loving you."

She doesn't expect glee, or excitement or even happiness, but she does expect a reaction—any reaction. But Damon is as still as a marble statue, not even moving an eyelash.

"Say something," she says finally, when the silence becomes too deafening. "Say something, Damon, anything."

"What is there to say, Elena?" he responds and she hates the way his voice is completely monotone and detached. "You want to have your cake and eat it too, and I think you'll find that Stefan and I don't exactly share all that well." The specter of Katherine Pierce lingers in the room.

She blinks at him and protests, "It's not like that, Damon—"

"Then why don't you explain what it's like, Elena?" he counters, and she suppresses a shudder at the chill in his voice.

"I don't want to hurt either one of you," she whispers and he rolls his eyes.

"Because you've done a fantastic job of that so far," he says bitterly and she flinches away from him.

Silence falls between them and she closes her eyes as she says softly, "I think... maybe I need to be by myself for a while, Damon."

There's no response from Damon, and when she opens her eyes, she's alone in her living room.

… … … …

"You're being awfully quiet," Stefan remarks casually, casting a glance at Caroline in the passenger seat. She turns every few minutes to check on Tyler as he sleeps in the backseat. "Why don't you spill whatever secret you're keeping?"

That gets her attention. "What?" she squeaks out and he rubs his forehead exasperatedly.

"Care," he says patiently as she fidgets, "Something's up with you. You're a terrible actress, and I know you, so just come out with it already."

"Nothing's going on," she mumbles, and Stefan considers her thoughtfully.

"Okay," he allows amicably, passing a particularly slow Honda. "Then how about you tell me why Klaus looked like it was his birthday come early after we saved Tyler?"

Caroline's forehead wrinkles, just for a second, at the mention of Klaus. "Because he's a psycho? I don't know, Stefan. Why do crazy people do what they do?" She avoids his eyes and stares out the window.

"Caroline," he presses and she inches away from him in her seat. "Just tell me. Whatever it is, we'll fix it, okay? We'll figure it out together."

"There's nothing to fix, Stefan," she says and he's struck at how assured she sounds. It only further convinces him that something is seriously up with her. "Except for the weird vampire-hunting Knights Templar or whatever they are." She sends him an entirely too-bright smile. "Think they know who really killed JFK?"

"Oswald killed JFK, Caroline," he informs her, mouth quirking upwards for a second, "And you know I'm going to find out anyway, so come on. Why don't you tell me what kind of deal you made with Klaus?"

Caroline freezes and he knows he's struck gold. "I didn't make a deal," she protests half-heartedly and he shakes his head.

"I can't help you unless I know the terms," he says and she crosses her arms defiantly.

"You're losing it, Stefan," she tells him, glancing back at Tyler, who is still fast asleep. "Seeing things that aren't there."

"You forget," he says softly, his grip on the steering wheel tightening ever so slightly. "I know what a deal with the devil looks like, Care. So just who exactly did you trade yourself for?" He sits up a little to look at Tyler in the rearview mirror. "Can't be Tyler because he broke the sire bond."

"Stop, Stefan," she says quietly and he figures he must be getting warmer.

"Bonnie can take care of herself, and Klaus owes her one," Stefan continues, and he watches as Caroline's hands turn into fists by her sides. "Jeremy still has his uses with the Council and no way you go to the mat for Damon."

"Stefan, please don't push me on this," she repeats, voice turning slightly more desperate and his eyes narrow at the road.

"You know I can hold my own against Klaus," he says, ignoring her, and she snorts, muttering under her breath, "I wouldn't call it holding your own, Mr. Revisionist History."

He laughs a little. "And that leaves Elena and Matt." He taps his fingers against the wheel absently. "So which one are you protecting, Caroline?"

"As fascinating as your deluded ranting has been, Stefan, I hate to inform you that you're sadly mistaken," she retorts, but there is no bite to it and more than a little pleading. "There's no deal, no tradeoff, no buying and selling of wares, so stop looking for conspiracies where there aren't any. And lose the whole Vampire Whisperer thing. There's nothing to fix."

The amount of conviction in her voice is almost convincing. "Come on, Caroline," Stefan coaxes. "If you tell me, I can help get you out of it." His face darkens slightly. "Whoever it is, they are not worth your soul." His eyes flicker to the side of the road. "They can't possibly be worth handing yourself over to Klaus, of all people."

"Yes they are," Caroline argues, and then she claps a hand to her mouth, eyes wide. "I mean—"

Stefan cuts her off. "Deal's off, Care. You tell him that when we get home."

"Can't do that, Stefan," she says flatly. "You don't know the stakes here."

"Sure I do," he says evenly. "Life and death, right? Some things never change."

She grabs his hand off the steering wheel and grasps it tightly, her eyes pleading with his. "You can't tell anyone, Stefan, please."

He pulls away and doesn't promise her anything.

… … … …

Darkness has already fallen by the time Caroline collapses onto Elena's bed and moans, "Giant conspiracy theories, Elena. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the answer to everything is aliens. Or the Others."

"I heard," Elena says quietly, sitting next to her. Tyler makes himself comfortable on the windowsill. "How are you feeling, Tyler?"

He shrugs. "Better." He doesn't offer anything else, and neither Elena nor Caroline press for more.

"What about you? How are you coping, Elena?" Caroline asks, turning her face so that her nose isn't buried in Elena's blankets.

"That's my cue," Tyler says, groaning a little as he stands and drops a kiss on Caroline's temple before disappearing from the room.

Elena sighs and considers lying, but Caroline's blue eyes are looking right into her and she needs someone to understand. "I love both of them, Care, and I have no idea what I'm doing."

If Caroline is at all taken aback by her declaration, she doesn't show it. "I mean," Elena continues, rubbing at her face despondently, "Who does this? Falls for two people—two _brothers_ at the same time?" She doesn't wait for an answer. "Sluts, that's who. I'm a giant slut."

"None of that, Gilbert," Caroline scolds. "And I don't know about brothers," she goes on slowly, "but I can think of lots of people who loved two people at once."

Elena blinks at her, hands twisting in her comforter. "Care…"

Caroline holds up her hand, raising a finger for each name. "Scarlett O'Hara, Bridget Jones, Joey Potter—"

"Real people, Care," Elena says quietly.

Caroline barely slows down. "Cleopatra, the Ramones, and Dawson's Creek totally counts as real life, Elena."

Despite herself, Elena laughs a little, but it dies after several seconds. "Do you think I'm a bad person?" she asks, only a little surprised when her voice shakes.

"No," Caroline says immediately, sitting up. "You can't help who you love, Elena. Isn't that the whole point?" She pats Elena's hand gently. "And who says you have to decide anything now, anyway?"

"I can't keep doing this to Damon and Stefan," Elena says softly and Caroline nods.

"No," she agrees, "but more importantly, you can't keep doing this to yourself. This pushing and pulling has got to be exhausting, girlfriend." She pauses and then says gently, "Maybe you should just be Team Elena for a while."

Elena sniffles a little and says with small smile, "I told Damon as much earlier."

"Good," Caroline says firmly. "Maybe if you concentrate on you for a while, things will become clearer."

… … … …

"Your deal is off," Stefan says upon entering the Mikaelson mansion, Damon several steps behind him. "I don't know what Caroline's trading you, or who she's doing it for, but whatever it is, you're not getting her."

"Oh, she traded for Elena," Damon offers casually and Stefan starts, sending him a questioning look. "Remember, Klaus? _This is not the Petrova you are looking for_ and all that?" He waves his hand in front of Klaus's face. "Call off the clones, Darth Hybrid. Undo the deal."

Klaus raises an eyebrow at him idly, cracking the smallest of smiles. "I'm surprised at the two of you, voicing concern for someone other than the doppelganger. Regardless, it remains none of your business."

"Actually," Damon says, staring up at the vaulted ceiling before sending a smirk Klaus's way, "we took a vote and decided that, yeah, it is." He grins sardonically. "Seeing as how Barbie is his best friend—well, his only friend, really—and my ex-girlfriend, and all. Plus, I think Elena would be kinda pissed if you snatched her bestie."

Klaus shrugs, seemingly unaffected by either of them. "I'm afraid you two have very little say in this, regardless of your over-inflated sense of importance."

"Jesus, you're a pathetic excuse of a man," Damon snaps, tone becoming sharp and serious; and Stefan moves slightly in front of him as the expression on Klaus's face turns from amused to murderous. "Blackmailing Caroline into being with you because that's the only way you can delude yourself into thinking someone loves you."

"Why don't you wait in the car, Damon?" Stefan suggests, eyes locked with Klaus's and Damon rolls his eyes as he stalks out the door.

"How about we stop the bullshitting," Stefan says, hands shoved into his pockets and his shoulders hunched forward. "We both know there's no way any of us lets you have Caroline, and with this whole Councils upon Councils ordeal, you won't be leaving town any time soon." He tilts his head and adds, "I'm not all that surprised, to be honest. Indentured servitude is kind of your thing."

Klaus's eyes flash and he says dangerously, "Tread carefully, old friend."

"But you wouldn't have killed Elena," Stefan continues, eyeing Klaus closely. "You wouldn't, because you know that any chance of getting anything other than absolute loathing from Care would be gone. You want to know what I think, _old friend_?" Stefan steps closer, eyes narrowing. "I think you played her. I think you played her like a fiddle. Somehow you planted in her head that you were planning on killing Elena and she offered a trade." He shakes his head. "Always three steps ahead of everyone."

"Don't be a fool, Stefan," Klaus drawls, smirking slightly. "You of all people should know I have no reservations in killing Elena Gilbert."

"But why kill her," Stefan spits out, "when you can use the threat of doing so to your own advantage?" Disgust is written all over his face. "You're a master manipulator, and Caroline fell for it, hook, line and sinker."

"When you've lived as long as I have, Stefan," Klaus says, face turning serious, "after centuries of being fascinated by nothing—you will understand capturing light wherever you may find it."

"Yeah, well," Stefan shrugs. "I may not be as old as you, Klaus, but I've lived long enough to know forced loyalty isn't loyalty at all."

… … … …

Bonnie hits the Ignore button on her phone as the screen lights up with the name _Elena_ flashing over it.

"You okay?" Matt asks carefully from his spot across the living room. "That's the fifth call you've ignored."

Bonnie doesn't look up from her computer. "I'm just concentrating on de-spelling this stake," she says coolly.

"Yeah, I meant are you okay in the grand scheme of things," Matt clarifies gently and she looks up.

"No," she says quietly before turning back to the screen.

"Me neither," he agrees, leaning his head back against the headrest.

Bonnie taps the space bar distractedly before she blurts out, "Would it be so bad if this giant Council CIA could help us?"

Matt looks at her thoughtfully. "Yes and no," he says slowly. "They would hurt people we love, Bonnie."

"The people we love are hurting other people," she reminds him. "Just because we love them doesn't make it right."

"Right," Matt muses. "Right is relative, Bon. If there's anything I've learned from all this horror movie crap, it's that."

But Bonnie shakes her head firmly. "No," she says, "right is right and wrong is wrong." _And never the twain shall meet._

"I'm not sure it's that simple," Matt says and she can feel herself getting frustrated.

"There aren't any shades of gray when people's lives are on the line, Matt," she insists, turning from her computer to fully look at him. "Hurting people is wrong, and that is all our friends do."

"I don't know," he says softly. "Intent matters, Bon. It's why we distinguish manslaughter and murder, right?"

She's quiet for a moment. "Do you think vampires have souls?"

Mat doesn't even hesitate. "Yes."

Bonnie blinks at his quick response. "How can you be so sure?"

He shrugs. "Do Caroline or Elena seem that different to you?"

She stares at him incredulously. "Have you forgotten that not four hours ago, Elena was this close to killing you?"

"Bonnie," Matt says gently, "Intent matters."

"Yeah," she says flatly, "but so do a lot of things that we've brushed aside in defense of vampires."

… … … …

Caroline's phone chirps from its spot on Elena's dresser and she hesitates as _Stefan_ pops up on the screen. She stares at it until the screen darkens and her missed calls log opens. Five missed calls from Stefan, four from Damon, and Elena says from the other side of the room, "Who keeps calling you?"

She immediately slips her phone into her pocket and says cheerfully, "No one. I'm going downstairs, do you need anything?" When Elena shakes her head, she heads towards the kitchen.

Tyler is leaning on the island in the middle of the room. "Hey," he says when he sees her. "How's Elena?"

Caroline shrugs. "Dealing," she says vaguely and he smiles a little. "And how are you?" he asks, hands coming to rest on her upper arms.

She bites her lip. "Dealing," she repeats, moving in slightly to rest her head on his chest. His arms wrap around her and she closes her eyes so that her entire world can only consist of Tyler—the smell of his soap, the feel of his arms around her and his chin on the top of her head.

"I love you," she says without opening her eyes. She can feel him smile a little and his lips brush against her hair. "Whatever happens, promise me you'll remember that."

She feels him shift but she keeps her eyes shut. "I promise," he says slowly, and one hand starts to trail up and down her back. "I love you too, Care."

They stand like that in the middle of the Gilbert kitchen until Tyler says softly, "Do you think we should leave town?"

The word 'yes' flashes through her mind in bright neon colors but she shakes her head. "I promised Elena I wouldn't," she tells him, _and I sold my soul to Klaus for her life._ "And how do we know that wherever we end up doesn't have ties to the Council? We don't know how far up this thing goes." Her eyes open suddenly and pulls back to look up at him. "What if, like, the government knows? Do you want to spend eternity putting bottles on top of our doorknobs?" She's actually only half-kidding.

Tyler shrugs and pulls her back in. "I think the government has way bigger things to worry about than us, but if not, then we'll deal," he says resolutely. "We'll figure it out, 'kay?"

She wants to agree, wants to tell him she's with him for the long haul, wants to promise him forever—but she simply inhales the scent of him and promises nothing.

… … … …

"There's a meeting in a few days," Jeremy announces, dropping down on Bonnie's couch next to Matt, his feet resting on the coffee table. "I told them I'd be there."

"You're a total mole, man," Matt says appreciatively, clapping him on the shoulder and Bonnie rolls her eyes at the wide smile Jeremy sends back.

"Just don't do anything reckless," she warns, crossing her arms and Jeremy and Matt exchange a look.

"You know, I think I have something I have to do that's not in this room," Matt says, standing and scratching his chest idly before disappearing down the hall.

"Subtle," Bonnie mutters and Jeremy shrugs, motioning for her to come sit by him. When she does, he slides his arm around her shoulders and doesn't say anything; just brushes her hair off of her forehead. The sweetness of the gesture makes her stomach flip.

"Everything's going to be okay," he says and she lets her head drop onto his shoulder. "It'll be like a James Bond movie." He holds his hands out in front of them to frame the air. "I'm James Bond—obviously—infiltrating the formerly impenetrable terrorist-slash-mobster-slash-vampire-hunting organization." He nudges her and she feels a smile tugging at her lips. "You're my Bond girl—" "Sexist," she says with a laugh and he grins at her.

"Nah," he disagrees lightly, "Some of those chicks are like, badass double agents." Her smile wavers slightly.

"So who's M?" she asks, threading her fingers with his. "Stefan? Elena?" She wrinkles her nose. "Damon?"

"I didn't actually think it that far through," he tells her, "But definitely not Damon."

She tilts her face up at his. "How far do you think this goes, Jeremy?" she wants to know, her eyes focused on him.

Jeremy sighs and pulls her in closer. "All the way down the rabbit hole," he says softly and she feels a chill flutter over her skin.

… … … …

"That was the Gilbert boy."

"And?"

"Soon."

… … … …

**tbc.**

* * *

"You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." —_The Matrix_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Everything belongs to our CW overlords. Title is courtesy of Explosions in the Sky.

Unintentional hiatus what?

In all seriousness, I'm sorry. I suck. I'm begging, groveling in fact, for your forgiveness. I have a terribly long list of excuses—new job, a total lack of inspiration on this plot, TVD's general lack of sense lately and my own laziness—but still. I hope it won't happen again.

So everyone remember, S4 has ZERO to do with this fic. We picked up right where 'The Departed' left off and went to AU-town from there.

Hope everyone took that red pill, because down the rabbit hole we go.

Onward!

* * *

**the earth is not a cold dead place**

**8.**

"The hell do you think you're doing, Stefan?" Caroline whispers into her phone, casting a wary glance over to Elena's bathroom door. There is no pause in the running water, only the steady hum of the shower. "Look, I appreciate the whole knight in shining armor routine, but this isn't any of your business and I don't need any saving, alright?"

"Except that no, actually, it is," Damon interrupts and she hisses through clenched teeth as she realizes she's on speakerphone, "And you told Damon? _Stefan._"

"Deal with it," Damon says airily. "Somebody's gotta look out for your ass since you clearly have no interest in doing it yourself."

"Oh spare me," she snaps, forgetting to stay quiet and Elena calls from the shower, "Everything okay, Care?"

"Fine!" she hollers back, tucking her phone into her neck and shifting slightly away from the open door. "You of all people, Damon, should get why I'm doing this."

"I get it," he informs her brightly and she scowls, "but what can I say, Barbie? Elena would mope around, Call of the Wild would go psycho and I refuse to clean up after him. And besides, you've grown on me. Like a fungus." He pauses and she gapes like a fish at the empty air in front of her. "Or a barnacle."

She screams on the inside. "Listen, both of you," Caroline orders, injecting as much authority into her voice as she can muster on approximately seventy-two hours—but who's counting—of no sleep. "I made this call._ I_ did, and I did it for my best friend, who we all love, so stay out of it."

"Klaus isn't going to kill Elena," Stefan says and Caroline's breath catches. "It's too big a risk, Caroline."

"Very convincing, Stefan," she says, shaking her head. "You'll excuse me if I don't buy it."

"He's a con man, Caroline," Stefan insists and there is so much passion in his voice that she wavers. "It's what he does—he pinpoints weakness and exploits them for his own twisted ends."

"Okay," she breaks in, "say you're right. Say he's manipulating me, or twisting a desperate situation to his advantage. If I go back on this, if I break off the deal, what's stopping him then? I thought the two of you, of all people, would understand that I'm not gambling with Elena's life!"

"Caroline," Stefan says exasperatedly, "think about what you're giving him here. Klaus pushes people until he breaks them." His voice gentles. "No one wants for you to go trading your soul for Elena's life. We can fix this another way."

Caroline pushes an errant lock of hair away from her eyes. "It's not my soul he's getting, Stefan."

"Whoa, hang on, Barbie," Damon drawls and she can see him leering in her mind's eye. "Have you decided to join the world's oldest profession?' He pauses and she grimaces into the vacant air. "Got a nice corner picked out yet?"

"Go to hell," she immediately retorts, her fingers clenching down hard on her iPhone. "He gets time. Three cities, no expiration date. And let's be real, guys—time's one thing we've all got plenty of."

… … …

"You lied to me," Elijah says tonelessly, staring into the amber depths of his glass of bourbon. "You used me to trick Caroline Forbes into giving you what you want."

Klaus doesn't look at him. "She is hardly giving me what I want," he drawls lightly.

"Regardless, I remain a means to your end." Elijah gives a soft snort. "Always and forever."

"Someone's bitter," Kol says cheerfully, dropping into the seat next to Klaus. "Did Nik play in your toy chest again, brother?"

"You shouldn't talk about things that you do not understand," Elijah says darkly and Kol grins at him.

"Oh I understand," he says, sitting so that his ankle rests on his knee, his eyes glittering. "I understand that you think Nik stole your one true love away from you and that you have been forced to relive it—oh, twice now, yes?" He clicks his tongue at them. "Mo—Esther may have had the right idea about her."

Klaus and Elijah both stiffen at that. "What are you getting at, Kol?" Klaus growls and Elijah's eyes narrow in suspicion.

Kol gives an unaffected shrug. "Just that no silly, simpering girl should be allowed to create such a chasm between family." He stretches idly, long arms extending over his head. "Don't look so worried, Nik. It's only a thought."

… … …

"Be careful," Elena says, hand clasped around Jeremy's as they sit at the Gilbert kitchen table. Caroline is fidgeting restlessly on her other side and Bonnie is leaning against the counter, as far away from the three of them as she can get without leaving the kitchen. "This is way bigger than any of us imagined, and while the Mystic Falls Council may implicitly trust you, there's no guarantee that all of them will. "

Jeremy rolls his eyes fondly at her. "Thanks, but the thought had already crossed my mind, Elena." He glances over at Bonnie and offers gingerly, "We think—I mean, Bonnie thinks she's figured out how to de-spell the White Oak stake."

Caroline visibly brightens. "Really? How?"

Bonnie's eyes are hooded and unreadable. "It's still just a theory," she warns, "but I think it's a variant of the spell Lucy used to link you and Katherine, Elena." She doesn't meet Elena's eyes as she speaks. "So I'm gonna try it out."

"Okay," Elena says softly. "Do you need—" but Bonnie's already gone, Elena's words falling on empty air, "—anything from me," she finishes, voice trailing off and Jeremy squeezes her hand.

"Give it time," he advises. "She'll come around." He scoots forward to dig around in his jeans pocket. "She made this for you earlier."

Elena hesitates before taking the ring from him; she stares at it as though it might bite her. "I'm so sorry, Jeremy."

Jeremy shakes his head firmly. "Don't do that, Elena. It's not your fault." His eyes search hers pleadingly. "Everything that led up to this was…" he gestures helplessly. "A series of unfortunate events, I guess."

"I keep saying that," Caroline sighs, slouching down in her chair and Elena can hear the affectionate exasperation in Caroline's voice. "And she keeps not listening."

"I just keep thinking that I'm destined to end up like Katherine," Elena says softly, worry lining her forehead and Caroline holds up her hand.

"Wait just a hot minute," she says incredulously, leaning forward. "How many people have you killed?" Before Elena can open her mouth, she barrels on resolutely, "Oh, right—none. How many twisted, evil plots have you come up with? None. I'm sensing a theme here—a 'look at how un-Katherine Elena is' theme."

"How many brothers have I turned against each other?" Elena challenges bitterly before Caroline can continue. "Two. The same ones as Katherine."

"I still maintain you're being way too hard on yourself," Caroline informs her, crossing her arms over her chest. "You didn't set out to, like, seduce Damon or anything, which is a lot more than your freaking grandma can say."

Jeremy points to Caroline. "Listen to her," he says, and Caroline says triumphantly, "_Thank_ you!" Barely sparing her a glance, Jeremy's eyes flicker to the doorway to the kitchen as he stands. "Caroline's right, Elena. Is Tyler awake?"

Caroline glances over her shoulder, her hair fanning down her upper arms. "He was a few minutes ago."

Once Jeremy has left, Elena says lowly, "I don't like this, Care. That ring only protects him from supernatural stuff, and the Council is made up of humans."

Caroline's voice drops to a whisper. "Do you think they would do anything to Jeremy though? I mean, if they came after me and Tyler, but not Stefan and Damon—maybe Alaric didn't tell them everything. He couldn't have, right? Something would have happened by now."

Elena bites her lip worriedly. "You would think."

… … … …

"So what's the plan?" Tyler wants to know as Jeremy hunches over, his elbows on his knees. "Stealth infiltration right?"

Jeremy nods, one hand rubbing against his chin. "Something like that."

"Want backup?"

"Uh—" Jeremy blinks and frowns at him. "You really want to put yourself in that situation? It's a powder keg, man, and you're in their crosshairs."

Tyler's eyes are hooded and he shrugs. "Look, Jeremy, I've had someone else take over my body and been tortured all in the same week. I dunno, I just gotta feel like I'm controlling something."

"Yeah," Jeremy says quietly, "I get that." And he does. After all, hadn't that been the root cause of all his own bad behavior after his parents died? "But you have to be careful, man." He pauses for dramatic effect. "Caroline can be kind of scary."

He gets a half-laugh from Tyler for his effort but no other response.

"So what's the plan?" Bonnie asks as she walks in, grimoire in hand. Her eyes narrow slightly on Tyler, but she doesn't comment on his presence.

Instead of answering, Jeremy nods towards the grimoire and stake in her hands. "Any success?"

"Haven't tried yet. Stop evading, Jer. What's the plan?"

Tyler shoots him a sympathetic "you tried" look and Jeremy winces. "Pretty much no plan," he admits, running his hand over his scalp sheepishly.

Later, as he's standing in front of a non-descript office building next to the Grill, he thinks maybe a plan would have been a good idea.

Pastor Young motions him inside, his eyes unreadable and his face tight. "Thank you for joining us, Jeremy," he says gravely, motioning to an empty seat at a long rectangular table. Seated around it are members of the Founding Families, their eyes focused on him. "Your father would be proud of you," the pastor adds in what Jeremy is sure is supposed to be a comforting voice. It falls pitifully short and Jeremy tries not to flinch away.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Pastor Young tells him and Jeremy's heart is pounding out a nervous tattoo against his ribs.

"Yeah?" he manages to ask, staring at his hands with acute interest.

"Your friends—" Pastor Young shakes his head sadly. "I'm sorry Jeremy, but they are vampires."

_James Bond. Play it cool._ Jeremy doesn't say anything, just stares at the pastor in what he hopes looks convincingly like shock. "You're crazy," he says finally, moving his gaze to the others. "There's no such thing."

He's met with expressions filled with pity. "No, son," Pastor Young says quietly. "Your friends—Tyler Lockwood, Caroline Forbes, the Salvatore brothers—" Jeremy suppress a jerk of surprise as the pastor continues, "—they are all of the undead."

Jeremy shakes his head slowly. "You can't be serious."

"He is," one of the Council members says gravely from down the table. "And we have a plan on getting rid of them."

_Paydirt._ "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you can't get rid of things that aren't real," Jeremy informs them, rising from his chair. "You should all get help—_professional_ help."

Before he's made it out of his chair, a pair of strong hands grips his shoulders tightly and forces him to sit back down.

"I'm afraid," Pastor Young says grimly, "that you remaining with us is integral to our plans."

… … …

Bonnie makes the executive decision—her first in a long time, it feels like—to not de-spell the stake. She's pretty sure she can do it and the idea of having some leverage gives her a sort of thrill she will probably never admit to.

Her phone's buzzing and she sees Elena's name flashing on the screen, but Bonnie hesitates, her finger hovering over the answer button.

Guilt gets the better of her and she swipes the unlock button. "What's up, Elena?" Her voice is tight.

"Um—can we talk?" Elena asks, the nerves in her voice evident; Bonnie chews her bottom lip.

"I guess," she says finally, standing up from her spot on the couch and starting to pace. The flames of the lit candles in her living room begin to flare and Bonnie takes a deep, cleansing breath through her nostrils.

Elena sighs into the phone. "Bonnie, I need to tell you—I need to know that _you_ know that I—I'm still me. And you're my best friend and I need you so, _so_ much."

"Believe me, I'm aware," Bonnie says sharply, wincing at her own words even as she can't stop them from tumbling out. "What do you need me to fix now, Elena? Maybe look for a spell to help you chose a brother?"

"Bonnie," Elena whispers and Bonnie hates herself so much in this moment but it's like her voice has detached itself from her control.

"Or maybe you want me to do another spell that stops Jeremy's heart again?" She literally _cannot_ stop. "Or maybe—"

"_Bonnie_," Elena cries, and instead of letting her runaway mouth continue, Bonnie hangs up, her hand flying to her chest.

She looks up and catches her reflection in the pane glass of her front door. The glass shatters without warning.

Bonnie doesn't even flinch.

… … …

"I need you to do something for me," Caroline says seriously, hands wrapping around the steaming cup of tea in front of her. Elijah looks at her in curious silence and since she spiked this tea herself, she takes long sip. "I need you to compel Tyler to not love me anymore."

Whatever Elijah had been expecting, Caroline's pretty sure that wasn't it. He blinks and leans backwards, eyebrows rising slightly. "Why?" he wants to know, tilting his head at her.

Opting for more liquid courage before she answers that, Caroline finishes off the rest of her mug and stares down at her hands. "Because," she says carefully, "I love him." She risks a glance upwards and the words spill out before she can stop them. "I know it's not fair to him, and you're totally judging me, but I—I think he deserves to be happy." She pauses for a ragged breath; Elijah's expression hasn't moved in the slightest. "He deserves to really _be_ with someone."

Elijah moves forward, startling her. "Do you not deserve to be happy too?" he asks gently and she already had this argument with herself so she's prepared for that.

"I traded my happiness for my best friend's life," she says flatly, crossing her arms and side-eying him. "I don't care. I'd do it again in a second, you wanna know why?"

Caroline doesn't waste a second, barging onward without waiting for his response. "Elena has run straight into death, without a moment's hesitation _for me_. She did it again two days ago, for God's sake." Her eyes flicker up and down Elijah for a moment, as though sizing him up. "I can suffer through tourist-ing it up in Europe on Klaus's dime." There's a pause and she tries heroically for humor. "Talk about a first world problem."

Elijah doesn't crack a smile and after several beats of silence, Caroline starts to fidget under his stare. "I will not compel him," he finally says quietly, eyes never leaving her; Caroline's entire body deflates. This is basically Plan Z; she's so out of options.

"Then you can leave now," she snaps, standing up so quickly her chair wobbles. He doesn't move and she sees red in the corners of her vision. "Seriously, get the hell out."

Elijah doesn't move and it pisses her off. "Seriously, do you speak _English_—"

"I'm going to fix it," he says and she freezes in place.

"Excuse me?" she rasps, clearing her throat. "Wait, what?"

Grave dark eyes bore into her. "It is my fault that you sold yourself to my brother," he tells her solemnly and she blinks at him because what in the ever-loving fuck is even happening right—seriously, what is her _life_, "And I am going to fix it."

… … …

**tbc.**

* * *

A/N: Mmm what up, long time no see.

I've been a shit author, I know, but tomorrow's my birthday and you should all leave me reviews as my present.

Also fuck you TVD, we're breaking up.


End file.
